Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up - CD  Fans of Paolo Nutini’s debut album, These Streets might raise an eyebrow or two at this sophomore release. Produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon), Sunny Side Up features an eclectic and "rougher" range of songs that set it somewhat apart from its slick predecessor. Recorded in Ireland, Wales, New York, LA and the UK, Nutini--backed by his band The Vipers--tackles folk, reggae, soul and rock, with varying results. The Motown-esque "Coming Up Easy", the ballad "Worried Man" and the sea-shanty "Growing Up Beside You" are shining examples of Nutini's erudite songwriting skills, as is the charming, Dylan-esque "Tricks Of The Trade". But songs like "Pencil Full Of Lead" and "No Other Way", as well as his forays into reggae-lite and ersatz ragtime are less convincing, often sounding more like sketches than full songs. Whether Sunny Side Up is bravely eclectic or an incoherent disaster depends ultimately on the loyalty--and the patience--of the listener. -- Danny McKenna Review After his million selling 2006 debut, Paisley boy Paolo Nutini is back with the follow up - and it's a classic case of the pro rebelling against the path laid out for him. Where These Streets was slick, polished and poppy, Sunny Side Up is the exact opposite. It's difficult to know what to make this confused, folky melee - a lot of which sounds not unlike the sort of souvenir your Dad might bring back from a week in the Outer Hebrides. If you can get past his heavily accented lyrics - and sometimes they're almost unintelligible - then the music is equally rambling. This is a self-penned, self-produced flight of indulgent fancy, more old fashioned than old school. It's all the more surprising given that he had help from Kings Of Leon supremo Ethan Johns - but then maybe these days Paolo's harder to mould. Let's face it; he has now played Live Earth, supported Led Zepplin and duetted with Mick Jagger. How do you argue with that? Nutini's aim was an organic, timeless sound - the result is described by even his own management as 'almost unfashionably eclectic'. And maybe there lies the problem - this album sounds 40 years older than it should do coming from a guy still in his early 20s. If he's aiming to crack the US he's certainly heading in the right musical direction, with first single Candy sounding spookily like a Scottish Bruce Springsteen. Laidback soulful ballad Coming Up Easy is about his struggles with marijuana, but just sounds like it was written on the stuff. The confusion continues with ska-driven 10/10, Pencil of Lead where he sounds like a sped-up Louis Armstrong and the messy High Hopes - melody and lyrics are great, but overshadowed by an ill-thought-out penny whistle which belongs on the soundtrack to The Lion King. There are some gems - like Worried Man, a beautifully dark ditty about a man 'who feels like he's getting old before his time'. Irony alert! Paolo, slow down - it doesn't look like you'll be forced to return to the family fish and chip business any time soon, but that doesn't mean you have to age six decades between albums. --Sophie Bruce This link will take you off  in a new window