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Scottish-born singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini possesses an old soul and gritty voice that belie his young age (he's 20) and pretty-boy looks. On his debut album, already a hit in the U.K. (where it was released last July), Nutini seems to be channeling a bit of Ray Charles on the soulful ballad "Last Request," where, on the verge of a breakup, he tenderly pleads for a temporary reprieve: "Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere/But one last time let's go there." On another highlight, the wistful, acoustic-guitar-driven "Rewind," he shows that he's more than capable of being this year's James Blunt, although Blunt could never do bluesy rock as Nutini does on "Jenny Don't Be Hasty."
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DOWNLOAD THIS: "Last Request"
