Frenchy’s Fracas

General Description
Artist/Band: Duffy || ||
Album Title: Rockferry
Year: 2008

Mixed bag, lacking substance yet committed

How I Got Into This Music
Not really, just curious about the vibe and hype after seeing the clip of the Mercy track on television.

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Video clips at ||

Tracks that got my attention:
Rockferry
Hmm.. Trouble brewing, right off the bat.
Listen, this girl’s voice is incredible, so that’s not something to disrespect. But the catch is in how she uses the retro vibe on this track. Reminds me of other stuff I’d rather go listen, like Gerry & the Pacemakers, or something.
And, of course, Dusty Springfield.

Warwick Avenue
Ouch, don’t use the My Girl intro and guitars so blatantly obvious, please?

Stepping Stone
For me, the right kind of Retro: giving me a sense of Things from the Past without Looking Back - this song and its performance stand on their own two feet (or, so to speak: messy metaphores make my mind meander mysteriously.. )

Syrup & Honey
Lulu anyone? And all the bluesrock dames of yesteryears too.

Mercy
Ah, the current hit single. Snappy video, nice work, nice track. Of course there’s a “But”..
But, can we start give credit where credit’s due? Go back in time, say around 1984 and look up songs from the excellent Carmel.
The song’s been nicely modernised, and it’s catchy and everything, have fun. I’ll be going back to the record shop to get me some The Drum Is Everything from Carmel, okay? Right..

Delayed Devotion
Man, this makes me run to some Al Green.

Conclusion
First things first: Duffy is a great singer, no doubt, end of discussion.
Using Retro is a tricky endeavour: an obvious copy shows too much lack of imagination, even if you call it a tribute. A subtle reference, a tip of the hat with some personal touches helps to keep it interesting.
Duffy’s work is a bit of both in the worst way: you get Retro that reminds you of other stuff, easily ignoring her own tracks.
She’s the John Legend of whatever her pop genre is: her music will sell, she will be successful, but it’s empty of any added sentiment. That wackjob Winehouse somehow does the job a bit better (the lyrics for example), making it much more interesting to listen and remember.
So, Duffy will sell and become a Big Star and old farts like me will go listen to the artists she reminds us of. Sounds like a good deal.

Rating:

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General Description
Artist/Band: Amy Winehouse
Album Title: Back To Black
Year: 2006

Getting waaay too skinny..
 
How I Got Into This Music
This lady’s a very complex riddle: on the one hand you get the eating disorder, semi-alcoholic, retro-tattoo wearing Boozing Brit Bitch. On the other? Well, you get the most refreshing things in British music in quite a bloody long time: great vocals, sharp, nasty and intelligent lyrics and an incredible eye for drama. And this is just me talking about her first album..
So last October the follow-up album gets released and I was very curious to see if this dame’s capable of continuing her incredible pace of development with Back To Black.

Album credits at artistdirect.com || Google Search: Other reviews of Back To Black || Review of this album at Answers.com || Artist info at Wikipedia

Tracks that got my attention:
Rehab
Damn.. This girl jumps right into it, head first, not scared. Very personal description of her alcohol episode(s). The sneaky thing is that you kinda forget to listen to her words coz the music is so happy and retro-classic. This works vice versa. Love it!

You Know I’m No Good
Bad girl. Very bad, bad girl.
Upstairs in bed with my ex boy,
He’s in a place, but I can’t get joy,
Thinking on you in the final throes,
This is when my buzzer goes.
The song’s great, it’s got this urban (yucky word) beat and this great brass works that reminds me the Fine Young Cannibals. And bass is working overtime, listen..

Me & Mr Jones
The way she throws down this line What kind of fuckery is this? - it’s.. It’s.. Classic! In twenty-odd years people will still remember this line and how it was sung. But the song’s got much more: this song shows the definite change of approach and direction - Miss Winehouse has gone Old School Soul and Real R&B. You get this Motown on Heroin kinda vibe, and it sure as hell works for me!

Just Friends
The intro had me fooled: first bit made me almost choke coz I thought she went US airplay commercial, but then the track really gets going and we get.. Sixties Ska!
Again, those lyrics:
And no I’m not ashamed,
But the guilt will kill you, If she don’t first
I’ll never love you like her
Chills down my spine..

Back To Black
This is so incredibly nasty: the trick (for lack of a better description) is remix of a Dusty Springfield type of production - musically and lyrically - that gives us that heart-wrenching sense of melodrama, kitsch and Soul. Love it!

Tears Dry On Their Own
Uptempo song, great feel and feeling.
I’ll be some next man’s other woman soon
I cannot play my self again
Should just be my own best friend
Not fuck my self in the head with stupid men

Wake Up Alone
Best song of the album on all fronts; great production (check out the background vocals) and again, those lyrics:
It’s okay in the day I’m staying busy
Tied up in love so I don’t have to wonder where is he
Got so sick of crying so just lately
When I catch myself I do a 180

That silent sense of content that everyone gets
Just disappears soon as the sun sets
Wow..

Addicted
Heheh.. This song’s excellent - hilarious!

Conclusion
Saw her perform on TV twice and she still is a total mystery to me. Maybe I’m the type of guy who never gets these things, but the combo of cheap skanky exterior and brilliant inner talents always pique my curiosity. In this case the cat would not only get killed, but also skinned, pissed on and then put in the microwave. And the thing is, I still love it!
It’s also very weird to hear a twenty-something sings old stuff as if she lived the combined sad lives of many a Soul singer/songstress. It’s not the easy retro-recycling of Lenny Kravitz, she somehow stays clear of the dark line of tragedy. Her lyrics are almost always incredibly witty, dark and shiny at the same time.
Like I mentioned earlier, her style and talent is incredible, now let’s see if she survives her own Drama.

Rating: (those tattoos..)

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