Adele 'Someone Like You' Video

"Someone Like You" finally has a proper video. It's a lovely black & white affair shot in Paris, with Adele wondering around town looking sad. Reminds me of Duffy's "Warwick Avenue" and Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2U" videos.

Album Review: Duffy - Endlessly (4/5)

Something is amiss on Duffy's sophomore album, Endlessly. It's not the songs, as they are quite solid. Better than I expected actually, as the album has gotten surprisingly mixed reviews. I think the problem lies with the singer herself, or rather just her voice. Duffy, or Aimée Ann Duffy as her parents know her, has a rather set of pipes. She used it to great effect on Rockferry, her 2008 debut that was my favorite album of the year. But whatever magic producer Bernard Butler was able to work on that album has apparently eluded this album's producer, Albert Hammond.

Whether its his doing or her choice to play up her vocal weaknesses rather than her strengths is hard to tell, but I completely agree with the Slant review that says at times she sounds 7 and at other times 70. She overdoes the nasal and the vibratto, which is probably the reason a lot of people were turned off by the album's first single, "Well, Well, Well," which if, like me, you can get past that, is a smoking hot tune. Hip-hop group The Roots, who had a rather good year this year, create a bracing start-stop melody that always makes me want to stand up and dance.

It's one of several standout tracks. The album opens well with "My Boy," but gets better by the third track, "Keeping My Baby," a delicious disco re-read of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach." We'll leave it to the lawyers to determine whether its an homage or an opportunity for copyright litigation. Also drawing inspiration from an obvious classic hit is "Don't Forsake Me," which embodies the same kind of '60s summer romanticism of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." I guess I shouldn't be surprised that these great songs, along with the upbeat pop track "Lovestruck," are co-produced by my favorite producer of the year, the amazing Stuart Price.

There are other highlights too. The title track is soulful, simple and sweet. Sugary "Girl" riffs on "The Beat Goes On" via Kylie's 2000 interpretation, "Koocachoo," complete with some "koos" thrown in. "Too Hurt to Dance" is a lovely doo-wop throwback, perfect for a high school slow dance. Listening to the album reminds me a lot of the movie Dirty Dancing, which Duffy's music evokes so much better than the Black Eyed Peas' tepid remake of the movie's hit song.

I guess Duffy doesn't really sound that bad, and the great songs make up for it, but she really needs to rein herself in a bit. Otherwise, this is a solid follow-up album. I hope that "Well, Well, Well's" lack of chart success doesn't mean some of these other great songs don't get a chance at being played on the radio.

Best: Keeping My Baby, Well Well Well, Don't Forsake Me, Lovestruck, Endlessly

Duffy Returns with New Album

Photo from http://www.iamduffy.com/

Duffy, who set the pop music world (at least my pop music world) on fire with her debut album, Rockferry and hits like "Mercy" and "Warwick Avenue" will return with her second album in November, titled Endlessly, featuring first single "Well, Well, Well." According to her website, the principal collaborator on this album is Albert Hammond, the 66 year-old British music industry veteran whose penned a number of big hits over the years, including Leo Sayer's "When I Need You," Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (with Diane Warren), "Don't Turn Around" by Aswad or Ace of Base (another Warren collaboration) and Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time."

Best of 2000s: Duffy - Rockferry (5/5)

If Amy Winehouse cornered the bad-girl retro '60s market in 2006, Duffy showed there was room enough for a good-girl competitor in 2008. On the back of her heady breakthrough single, "Mercy," Duffy delivered 2008's best album. Rockferry was a gorgeous, soulful debut, with many of the songs focusing on the desire to leave or move on from a toxic relationship. A smash success in Britain, Rockferry also caught on in the US, where "Mercy" was a minor hit and Rockferry went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Album.

Best: Mercy, Warwick Avenue, Stepping Stone, Serious, Hanging on Too Long

Duffy's Warwick Avenue video

Here's the video for Duffy's new single, "Warwick Avenue." Duffy shows off her acting chops here--the camera never strays from her face, reminiscent of Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2U." Strangely captivating in its simplicity.

Album Review: Duffy - Rockferry (4.5/5)

Adele and Duffy...Duffy or Adele. If they weren't such nice girls, these two could be having quite the rivalry at the moment. Both topped the prestigious BBC Sounds of 2008 poll at the beginning of the year (Adele at #1, Duffy at #2). Both have been tagged as "the next Amy Winehouse," of which I feel Duffy is more deserving (Adele is more "the next Lily Allen meets Norah Jones"). Both have been launched in about the same way: limited releases of more unusual tracks last fall to build buzz (Adele's "Hometown Glory," Duffy's "Rockferry"), followed by bigger, heavily promoted releases early this year (Adele's "Chasing Pavements," Duffy's "Mercy,"), and then finally the albums, Adele's 19 and this album, Rockferry.

Duffy won round one, her single "Mercy" is firmly planted at #1 on the UK singles chart, while Adele's "Chasing Pavements" only made it to #2, kept from #1 by, ahem, Basshunter. Now Duffy looks set to win round 2 as well. Adele's 19 was #1 in its first week, but moved only 73,000 units; Duffy's Rockferry looks set to sell twice that much in its debut week. The British public have spoken.

And I'm with them. While I like 19, Rockferry is the superior album, a gorgeous and swinging piece of retro pop. Like Amy Winehouse's Back to Black it recalls the sound of heavily produced '60s pop quite well, but while that album was a mix of nerve and tragedy, Rockferry is more cheerful, even if it doesn't reach the emotional highs and lows of Winehouse's disc. The emotions are there, but they don't run as deep; thankfully there's no evidence of a drug-fueled bender on the horizon.

The first four songs are fantastic--all of them winners, and showcasing different musical styles that all fit into the retro package Duffy is offering. "Rockferry" features a wall of sound combining piano, strings, electric guitar and acoustic guitar into a plodding rhythm. It's the album's biggest song in terms of sheer volume, and its starting-over message. This theme is carried over into "Warwick Avenue," although rather than moving to a small town she's settling in the tony London neighborhood of Maida Vale (I have a special affinity for this song, since the Warwick Avenue tube station was the closest to my flat when I lived in London, so I can just picture Duffy waiting outside there). This is also a very good song, back with strings that swell during the chorus and bass guitar that carries the melody through the verses.

Groovy "Serious" is upbeat, featuring more of those lovely strings, soulful even, with a bit of Motown swing. Whereas Mark Ronson sought to inject a modern sensibility in into Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, this just sounds like a long lost hit from years ago. Darker "Stepping Stone" was an instant highlight for me, an atmospheric ballad about the temptation to return to an abusive relationship ("You got your kicks you get your kicks from playing me. And the less you give the more i want so foolishly"). It's a haunting song, sad and beautiful. The only letdown in the first half is "Syrup and Honey," a minimal ballad of just Duffy and reverbing guitar that is very, very slow.

The second half has some great highlights too, notably "Hanging on Too Long," which steals its groove from "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," creating a dark, reflective mood for examining yet another failing relationship ("I was a fool for you, right from the start"). Then there's the above mentioned current hit "Mercy," which needs to explanation. This is brilliant pop. "Delayed Devotion" is another up-tempo mix of piano and strings, and intriguingly, Duffy sounds different somehow on this song, singing in a lower range than most of the other songs and reigning in her vocal power. As a singer, it should be said that she is very good, demonstrating a broad range and great control--a pleasure to listen to. Closing track "Distant Dreamer" ends the album on an up note. The building track finds Duffy dreaming of a better today. Even if she's still trapped in a bad relationship she can escape, at least in her mind.

I liked this album immediately, but throughout the week, the more I listened to it, the better it got, as the depth of the songs emerged. This is a powerful, confident debut from a singer I think we're going to be hearing a lot more from. Best album of the year so far.

Best: Mercy, Stepping Stone, Warwick Avenue, Serious, Distant Dreamer, Hanging on Too Long, Rockferry

UK Singles Chart, 2/23/2008

Great chart this week:

1. Mercy - Duffy

British newcomer Duffy ends the 5-week run at the top for Swedish dance act Basshunter. "Mercy" is Duffy's first major hit, following the limited release last year of "Rockferry." Comparisons with another current newcomer, Adele, are inevitable. Both have been compared to Amy Winehouse, although I think Duffy is more deserving of that. Both put out limited releases late last year followed by big releases early this year. Adele was #1 on the BBC Sounds of 2008 list; Duffy was #2. A rivalry is surely in the making.

While Adele appeared to have the early advantage, Duffy strikes back this week big time, topping both the UK sales and airplay charts. While Adele's "Chasing Pavements" was kept from #1 by a widely derided import dance single, Duffy kicks that single to the curb this week--and on digital sales to boot. The single gets its full release next week. "Mercy" is an awesome track: a stompin' '60s throwback in the Phil Spector or Nancy Sinatra tradition. Duffy's album, Rockferry, is out March 3.

2. Rockstar - Nickelback

Nickelback holds a second week at #2. Had it not been for Duffy, they could have had their first UK #1 hit. It's status as their biggest single is pretty much assured at this point.

4. Sun Goes Down - David Jordan

David Jordan ascends another spot with his international-sounding "Sun Goes Down."

7. What's It Gonna Be - H two O featuring Platnum

Oooh! A dance track. "What's It Gonna Be" debuts at #7 this week on downloads, ahead of its physical release this week. The song sounds very late '90s/early '00s. But really, doesn't all House-based dance music?

9. I Thought It Was Over - The Feeling

The Feeling climbs three spots to #9, which will probably be their peak, as the single is now fully released. This is their fourth single to land in the #7 to #10 range. While that's certainly resepectable, this doesn't become the big hit they were probably hoping for, despite topping the airplay chart last week. Their second album, Join With Us, is out today.

10. A&E - Goldfrapp

Also fully released and perhaps not the hit they were hoping for is "A&E," first single from Goldfrapp's forthcoming The Seventh Tree, out next Monday. The gentle song is a departure from the hard-hitting electro-pop sound that dominated releases from their last two albums. That doesn't make it any less enjoyable though, and this is perhaps their most radio friendly single to date.

11. Stop and Stare - OneRepublic

Tipped to become their second big hit is "Stop and Stare," the follow-up to OneRepublic's Timbaland collaboration, "Apologize," which became an international smash late last year and is still hanging around the chart at #20 this week. "Stop and Stare" debuts at #11 on downloads, 3 weeks ahead of its CD release.

40. Low - Flo Rida ft. T-Pain

The single that has spent the last 2 months at #1 in the US makes its UK debut this week. Look for it to rise until its CD release on March 3rd.

Next week, fully released singles from Kylie Minogue (finally) and H two O will compete with Duffy for #1. Also look for Craig David and Out of Office to score top 40 hits.