It’s been one of the most hyped and eagerly anticipated albums this year; and this sublime slice of funk and soul is well worth the wait as Paolo Nutini melts like butter into your ears through triumphant anthems like opener ‘Scream (Funk My Life Up)’ and power tracks ‘Iron Sky’.

Nutini is a far cry from the pleasant pop record These Streets in 2006; moving on to create an LP of mishmashed styles and influences in the form of Sunny Side Up in 2009, he showed growth and creativity and launched himself into the limelight with hits that drew in sold-out crowds and festival shows around the world.

Opening nicely with the first single ‘Scream (Funk My Life Up)’, the LP moves onto ‘Numpty’, standing out as a follow-on from tracks loved by fans on the last album like ‘Coming Up Easy’; catchy, mellow and poppy with its soothing vocals and melody.

Then there’s surprise additions like ‘Superfly’; a minute-long instrumental with layered Public Service Broadcasting-esque voiceovers that show growth in Nutini’s styles and influences.

On the surface, ‘Better Man’ and ‘Iron Sky’ are power ballads, but dig a little deeper and layers of soul and charisma seep from the core, the latter taking James Brown and Charles Bradley influences and soaking them in his much-loved Scottish twang.

This isn’t just an album, its a collection of class and talent that comes alive in his live performance, especially the likes of ‘Fashion’ that borrows the groove of David Bowie’s track of the same name. Ballsy and groovy, the riff is bass heavy and one to look out for at his festival shows this summer.

The introduction to ‘Looking for Something’ exceeds a minute, and its repetitive riff grooves its way effortlessly to meet the chorus, boasting layers of strings and melodies. This is a real stand-out on the LP, like something straight out of the 70’s before Nutini was even born.

‘Cherry Blossom’  blows you away with its combination of psychedelic influences and heavier rock parts, Nutini’s deeper vocals sets this song alight. Making an effort to keep the lyrics simple amongst a tangled arrangement of guitars and drums, Nutini gives a nudge to Pearl Jam with the rich-riffs.

Closing the album is a pure gem of a track with Nutini’s original manager, Brendan Moon driving the song with a basic bass riff, Nutini recorded this in a disused Police station in the Gorbals of Glasgow. It’s short, mellow and could be straight off an Otis Redding B-side with its heartfelt approach. Nutini absolutely nails this, an LP to buy on vinyl following its release on Monday.