Duffy - Rockferry

Duffy belongs to a category I refer to as "The Sober Winehouses." The other singer that gets this classification is the lovely and adorable Adele. Both of the UK singers have a similar sultry jazz style to Amy Winehouse, but neither suffers from the media spotlight that goes with being a raging alcoholic/drug addict.

Rockferry is potentially one of the best albums of 2008. It is slow, smooth and sexy. But at a turn it can be upbeat and danceable. Duffy's voice is smokey and perfectly suited to the material she is recording. I don't know if it's because she's Welsh and English is her second language, but there is something very different and alluring about the sound of her voice.

Duffy is the kind of singer you put on the stereo when you're with someone who you have dangerously conflicting motives towards. You want to hold their hand and share a milkshake, but you'd also like to rip off all their clothes and know them in a carnal capacity. That's what listening to Duffy is like, because either way, the soundtrack fits.

Standout tracks will obviously include the megahit "Mercy" which, yes, is now stuck in your head; as well as the titular "Rockferry" and, well. . . the whole damned record is standout.

****.5 out of *****
4.5 out of 5

Amy Winehouse - Frank

Today, while playing Amy Winehouse's Frank in my store, an older gentleman inquired as to who was singing. He'd never heard of Amy Winehouse, knew nothing about her rocky marriage or her consuming addictions to drugs and alcohol. All he knew was that she was "fabulous."

And listening to Frank, you realize that he's absolutely correct. Before all the bullshit, and the media frenzy, and the world watching to see just when Winehouse would go too far, there was a young women with the voice of a 60 year old jazz singer.

There are no songs on this album to recall the catchy pop of "Rehab" or "You Know That I'm No Good" from her sophomore release Back to Black. Frank is just an old school jazz voice over electronic beats. It's such a simple concept, and it's wildly effective. Frank is an exceedingly listenable album because it DOESN'T get stuck in your head. It swims through and leaves you nodding unintentionally, and longing to listen again, but it doesn't stick.

It's not to say that Frank lacks for single material. Songs like "You Sent Me Flying," "Fuck Me Pumps," and "What is it About Men" are all excellent stand-outs. But this is not an album about songs, it is an album that is most effective as a whole, and is certainly worth listening to as such.

***.5 out of *****
3.5 out of 5