sunny side up

OK, this wouldn't be the first time that I've talked about how rare it is when we, as human beings, meet or see someone that has a magical spark.  And I've talked about this chemistry between two people and what it stirs within us.  But then there are those people that we see on TV, in concert, or on a stage that are simply beautiful, captivating, inspiring and we never forget how they make us feel in a moment, or forever.

This happened to me the first time I saw Paolo Nutini.  I was on a flight from Vegas to Toronto three years ago and I was watching the Today Show on the satellite station on Air Canada. Matt Lauer was interviewing this 20-year old kid from Scotland that was just making his debut in North America and with an incredibly thick accent he was remarkably engaging.  I instantly wanted to know the history of this kid and to hear more of his music.  

I bought the CD immediately, listened to it daily and proceeded to buy tickets to his shows.  I saw him in Vancouver and bought a ticket to see him in Chicago with Amy Winehouse, but unfortunately the show was canceled because Amy did really end up going to rehab.

Anyway, hard to believe it's 3 years later and he continues to get better, his voice is even huskier and more eclectic.  Sunny Side Up is his latest CD and I've been listening to it over and over again for the last 24 hours.  It hasn't been getting great reviews, but I find that a 'professional critic' of anything is typically a wanker.  Standing on their soapbox trying to read into all the finer details behind the meaning and sound of an album (or a movie for that matter).  If his fan base (and then some) have incredible feelings for what they hear, that's all that matters, no?  Lord, it's like asking a focus group to tell you to 'evaluate' a TV commercial. Bollocks, I say.

Sunny Side Up, makes me happy. Paolo's inspiration was just the simple, straight-forward things in life that we should bask in to make us happy and live our lives beautifully.  And he sells these words through a folksy-reggae-hillbilly kind of way.  A man after my own heart and a right-ole-soul.