

If you didn't know Paolo Nutini was a child of the 1980s, you'd likely assume his recordings were a throwback to some bygone period—a time of vinyl LPs, analog studios, and sublime brass session players. When he emerged in the mid-2000s, he was still in his teens and traded in crisp strummed heartbreak ballads. As Nutini has matured, his music has evolved into a gloriously atmospheric riff on blue-eyed soul, as he fashions a new-school interpretation of that warm, late-'60s/early-'70s sound with rich arrangements and near falsetto vocals.