Duffy

Lately, the U.K. has been producing pint-sized singing powerhouses like nobody's business: Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Kate Nash, Adele, and now Duffy. Is something in the water? Perhaps. Like Winehouse and Adele, Duffy channels the soulful sounds of the '60s, taking hints from acts like Bettye Swann, Etta James, and Candi Staton. But unlike Winehouse, who has her tales of addiction, and Allen who has her cheeky bits about pot-smoking brothers and window-shopping nanas, Duffy has neither drama nor shtick, just songs about plain old heartache and heartbreak. But like her feisty compatriots, Duffy makes it clear that she's not going quietly into the night. The Dusty Springfield look-alike doesn't resort to foul language like some of her fellow chanteuses, but manages to get her message across just as forcefully as her more boisterous counterparts; she's not going to let some guy push her around. Another difference between Duffy and her peers, all of whom attended the prestigious BRIT school for performing arts in London, is that Duffy (who hails from a small town in Wales) had to rise to fame the old-fashioned way: working by day, and singing by night. So when she sings about her trials and tribulations she comes across as genuine, because she is in fact the real deal.

Besides embodying the sounds of the '60s, Duffy exemplifies the period's ethos as well. Rockferry is all about a woman reclaiming her freedom. On "Warwick Avenue" [watch video] Duffy sings out strongly about how she's going to leave her deadbeat lover against a backdrop of '60s-inspired orchestral arrangements. The sweet, retro ballad "Serious," finds the singer wanting to know if her man is truly serious, because she's not the type of gal who wants to waste her time. The slow, but steady, number "Delayed Devotion" leaves Duffy firmly telling her boy that he's going need another "toy" who's not going to stand up for herself. And on the chart-topping track "Mercy," [watch video] Duffy unleashes an exploding vocal energy that recalls the legendary Ann Peebles. But as she begs her lover to release her from his spell against the groovy beats, she reminds her listeners that even the strongest women have their moments of weakness.

—Alexis Roberts
05.14.08