Rating: NNN
She won second place in the Welsh version of American Idol, and 23-year-old singer/songwriter Duffy has been compared to Amy Winehouse, not only because their sweet soul voices are similar, but because her songs are all catchy don’t-take-any-shit ballads. Duffy purrs and belts it out with doo-wop sentiment and a classic girl-group lilt, and this vintage familiarity makes the album pretty easy to listen to. At this point, however, the movement of white UK female artists using 60s nostalgia to reinvent pop music is not all that original, but at least it’s a welcome break from the previous trends.
Duffy makes her Toronto debut at the Mod Club Tuesday (March 18).
