Paolo Nutini Has the Voice of an Angel
Paolo Nutini’s voice could make an atheist believe in God. It is an instrument that has to be a special gift from someone special.
Paolo Nutini may be the best male soul singer from the British Isles since Joe Cocker. He sounds like a melding of Bob Marley and Otis Redding. Unlike Cocker, though, Nutini writes songs … really, really fine songs.
The young Scotsman yes, his name is Italian, but his family has been in Scotland for generations is the son of a fish-and-chips shop owner. His gift for singing was discovered after he won a quiz during a delay in a concert he was attending and was invited onstage to sing. And the rest is … soul, beautiful soul.
Paolo Nutini has been making my driving time better in recent weeks. He sings about love, family, hope and about how much worships his father, the fish-and-chips shop proprietor.
In his fabulous soul song “Coming Up Easy” Paolo sings: “It was in love I was created and in love is how I hope I die.”
I have sworn off reading the Internet postings on my columns. I had done so before, but went back to reading the postings recently.
What a mistake.
Many people say nice things thanks for that but other folks are just nasty.
It’s fine if you don’t like what I write about politics, if you think my columns are a waste of time, if you want to make fun of my looks. Write all you want about those things. Have a go. I don’t care.
Recently, though, one of the snipers, hiding behind a screen name, of course, wrote something shockingly vile, and not just about me. This is the same guy who earlier attacked the bravery of my late father, a World War II combat veteran who came home with a Purple Heart.
Ninety-nine percent of these pathetic potshot artists wouldn’t have the guts to say such things to my face. The anonymous yellowbellies don’t even have the nerve to send in signed letters to the editor.
From now on, though, it is read no such evil. It’s hear the beautiful music instead.
I’ve been writing a lot in recent months about what I’ve given up. I gave up basketball after a second serious knee injury, gave up a diet soda addiction, gave up talk radio, gave up reading the posts on my column.
The only of those that has any lure left is basketball. The other stuff is bad for the body and the soul.
The wonderful music you might see me bob to and sing along with in my car, now that may be the best thing in the world for the body and the soul.
Rhett Miller sings on his latest album: “Sometimes sometimes sometimes/the only thing you have is a song/and in these times, in these lonely lonely times/I will sing along.”
