For so many reasons, your gut says Duffy’s follow up to 2008’s mega-successful Rockferry really shouldn’t work. For starters, she’s fighting to reclaim lost ground with those in thrall to the idea of ‘cool’ after her last record became insanely over-saturated on its way to selling a whopping five million copies; and secondly (and perhaps more importantly), where previously young-ish chart wizards like Steve Booker, Bernard Butler and the producer team of Jimmy Hogarth and Eg White shaped her pop soul sound, this time out she decided to ally herself with 66 year old producer Albert Hammond and hip hop gods The Roots.
You might fear a Frankenstein’s monster of a record, taking Duffy away from her soul roots and into dangerously hybrid territory. Fret not: the musical knitting never once unravels on Endlessly and the retro production stylings marry up perfectly with the super tight musicianship on show. Duffy’s heartsick croon is in fine fettle too, emoting her tales of love and loss in her own unmistakable fashion.
In fact the shift in style is thoroughly refreshing. Far from being Rockferry Part Two, to these ears Endlessly is a power pop tour de force. Album opener ‘My Boy’ is a sassy, string-laden number with a hook to die for. ‘Too Hurt To Dance’ is a punch-drunk waltz that the likes of Mary Byrne from X Factor would love to take a crack at around the pubs and clubs of Ireland. And ‘Well, Well, Well’ has a great chorus which is spurred on by some brilliantly infectious, pumping horns. There are a few throwaway tunes on the 30-minute album, including the meandering title track and the forgettable ‘Girl,’ but for the most part, Duffy has crafted a highly potent record that unashamedly embraces her love for all things retro while also managing to keep the sound contemporary. Will this be the album that takes the singer out of the clutches of millions of middle class mums and dads around the world and makes her cool again? Who cares? Songs like ‘Hard For The Heart’ certainly deserve to be heard (and embraced) by everyone.
Key Track: ‘Hard For The Heart’