HE'S a hard man to pin down, is Paolo Nutini.

He's only 20, but listen to that amazing voice as it veers from scratchy falsetto to deepest gravel and he could be 60.

He's a singer/songwriter, so he's been pigeon-holed with the dreaded Jameses, Blunt and Morrison, when his music, founded on an eclectic range of sources from ska to skat, is far more interesting and diverse.

And, as someone still finding his way in a cut-throat business, his eyes-closed on-stage persona remains a work in progress.

But in a packed and welcoming Solent Hall, Nutini seemed to overcome his shyness and, buoyed by an increasingly impressive body of work, put in a sweaty, bouncy, even confident performance.

It helps that he's backed by a strong band, and has penned some memorable songs, from the laid-back Coming Up Easy to the singalong Worried Man, not forgetting Pencil Full of Lead and his excellent most recent single, Candy.

On 10/10 his voice was reminsicent of Bob Marley, and there were other times when I heard traces of Otis Redding, even Burl Ives and another love-lorn troubadour with his roots in Glasgow, the sadly missed John Martyn.

Nutini is known as an admirer of Cab Calloway, and his love of Stax shines through, while on High Hopes, meanwhile, you can clearly discern another of his influences, Louis Prima, King Louie in Disney's The Jungle Book.

Which is not to suggest that Nutini is a living patchwork, a one-man series of unusual tribute acts.

He's an enigma wrapped in a riddle all right, with his best probably yet be to come - meanwhile, it promises to be an enjoyable ride.