Duffy

This Welsh wonder recalls the Supremes and the Swingin' London blue-eyed soul style of Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield, yet Duffy does it in a way that appeals to those raised on Alicia Keys and Joss Stone. The U.K. smash "Mercy" may bring up thoughts of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" and Carmel's 1980s retro hit "Sally," but on tracks such as "Warwick Avenue," "Delayed Devotion" and "Stepping Stone," Duffy reveals different sides of her talent. Graying britpop fans will be interested to learn that Bernard Butler, Suede's guitarist and a major soul aficionado, cowrote half the songs here.

Like fellow U.K. chart-topper Leona Lewis, Welsh newcomer Aimee Duffy once worked as
a waitress and competed on an American Idol-like show. But after a dalliance with pop, she
settled on a sound that better suits her crackly vocals: Sixties-style soul. Duffy's Motown-
and Dusty Springfield-indebted debut swings with a lounge-y charm, whether she's fighting
her devotion to an unfaithful lover on "Hanging on Too Long" or dreaming of taki... More >