While the oft-mentioned Amy Winehouse is arguably the progenitor/queen of the Aughties’ throwback scene, another similarly first-named dame has surfaced in her soulful wake. Meet 23-year old Amy Duffy, or as she’s professional known: Duffy.
The Welsh-born singer is said to have drawn early inspiration from an old video of Ready, Steady, Go! that her dad had (RSG! was one of the UK’s first pop/rock music programs, running from 1963-1966). “It had The Beatles, the Stones, the Walker Brothers, Sandie Shaw, and Millie singing `My Boy Lollipop’. So sexy and exciting! I played it again and again until finally it disintegrated.”
Three years ago, after singing in school choirs and restaurants, recording demos, and otherwise knocking about, Duffy met producer Bernard Butler (formerly of Suede). The two hit it off and wrote “Rockferry” together, a song that recalls the blue-eyed soul of the Righteous Brothers (particularly the slow-groove of their hits with Phil Spector) and Dusty Springfield. Hear here:
That gem kicks off Rockferry, Duffy’s debut disc, released in the UK earlier this month. What unfolds next are nine tracks similarly steeped in Sixties-era pop/soul traditions. “Stepping Stone” is reminiscent of the classic Bacharach/David composition, “The Look Of Love” (famously sung by Springfield). In “Hanging On Too Long,” there are obvious echoes of Marvin Gaye’s “Heard It Through The Grapevine”; the Motown sound is once more on display in “Delayed Devotion.” But it’s a more recent reference that graces “Mercy,” the single that’s currently #1 on the UK charts.
Yes, I hear Aretha’s “Chain of Fools” in there, but Duffy reaches all the way back to 2006 to crib the other Amy’s hit. The “No, no, no” of Winehouse’s “Rehab” becomes a bouncy “Yeah, yeah, yeah” rave-up. Listen to “Mercy” and see if you don’t agree:
But Duffy is spinning something cool (if not entirely original) out of these many influences. And while this is pop music, she’s no producer’s puppet: “They [the UK press] always ask about things like working with Bernard Butler as producer on the album. Actually, Bernard was one of three producers I worked with, but he’s the one people tend to ask about because they know him from Suede. The others were Steve Booker and Jimmy Hogarth. I’d write the lyrics and the melodies, then those guys would arrange the song around them. Some people seem to assume the album was all written for me, but I don’t mind too much as long as they enjoy listening to it. I know they’re my words and melodies.”
Duffy just wowed the crowds at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, and America will likely soon be pleading for “Mercy.” The insanely catchy song has been added to several Sirius playlists, and mainstream radio will likely follow suit. “Mercy” was just featured as the free “Single of the Week” on iTunes, and while it’s back to a buck, you can pick up “Rockferry” there as well. (If you prefer 256 kbps files, as I do, Amazon has only “Mercy” up at the moment.)
The full-length Rockferry, scheduled for a May 13th release, is available for pre-order. Or you can jump on the import now; I’m happy I did.
Discover more about Duffy via The Times‘ comprehensive feature on the singer, pre- and post-Rockferry.
