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Duffy's 'Rockferry' a lot like Winehouse, in a good way

Glenn Gamboa | DROPS

May 13, 2008

Duffy debuts with "Rockferry" which hits stores Tuesday, May 13.

Duffy is much more than a nicer, non-addicted Amy Winehouse or the new-millennium Dusty Springfield, though being either of those things would be enough reason for celebration.

On her debut "Rockferry" (Universal), the Welsh singer returns to a time when popular soul music was about more than long, drawn-out notes and overheated sex metaphors. She follows the Winehouse path to success - no, not the tabloid part - by pairing a retro-soul groove to a dance beat for her first single, "Mercy," even building a chorus around "yeah, yeah, yeah" instead of the "Rehab" no-no-no. And once she has your attention with that, Duffy doles out lovely, '60s-styled soul ballads like "Warwick Avenue" or "Syrup and Honey" that charm with a combination of shimmering beauty and generalized ache.

"Rockferry" is a far more stiff-upper-lip kind of album, recognizing heartaches but coating them with grand pop melodies and old-time Hollywood yearning. Duffy also isn't afraid to seem sappy, as in the wide-eyed "Distant Dreamer," a tune so I-can-do-it optimistic that it could easily be this season's " American Idol" coronation song.

It's a tough balancing act, but Duffy manages it effortlessly, as breakout stars of any era instinctively know how to do.Grade: B.

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DEATH CAB GETS 'NARROW.' Death Cab for Cutie's new album, "Narrow Stairs" (Atlantic), starts out promisingly, with the dramatic "Bixby Canyon Bridge," awash in Chris Walla's crashing guitars and Jason McGerr's bashing drums, and the sprawling eight-minute-plus epic single, "I Will Possess Your Heart," which begins with more than four minutes of Nick Harmer's throbbing basslines and expansive guitarwork.

It really does take all of that rocking to balance singer Ben Gibbard's still-pretty but increasingly downhearted songs about desperate people falling out of love. His high-register voice still can melt hearts, as he does on the poignant, Phil Spector-influenced "You Can Do Better Than Me," which serves as a nice change of pace musically, even if lyrically it drags the narrator's esteem issues even lower. "Narrow Stairs" is built to sound narrower and more depressing as it progresses, like a soundtrack for a shut-in withdrawing further from the outside world. To maximize the effect, the band starts leaving out little things like tempo changes and, well, different notes for Gibbard to sing.

Does that make for a successful artistic journey? Sure. But it also makes for a trip you'll want to avoid after a while. ("Narrow Stairs," in stores today; Grade: B-)

ALSO IN STORES. Jason Mraz's "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" (Atlantic); Joseph Arthur's EP "Vagabond Skies" (Lonely Astronaut); Cherish's R&B-flavored dance pop "The Truth" (Sho'Nuff), featuring "Killa"; 10 Years' "Division" (Universal); Filter's "Anthems for the Damned" (Pulse); "Blame It on Gravity" by Old 97's (New West); Ryan Cabrera's "The Moon Under Water" (Papa Joe Records); Nina Simone's daughter, Simone, tries her mother's classics for "Simone on Simone" (Koch); and the "Nothing but the Best" (Reprise) greatest hits compilation marking the 10th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's death.

SONG OF THE WEEK. Uniting Maroon 5 and Rihanna may have seemed smart on paper, but the resulting single, "If I Never See Your Face Again" (OctoScope) is as dull as most business decisions, the aural equivalent of the stock listings TV crawl. The Prince-ly faux-'80s lite-funk original wasn't great to start with, and throwing in Rihanna only makes it worse. Rihanna would be better off releasing the great "Breakin' Dishes" as a single, while Maroon 5 could go with "Nothing Lasts Forever," though, then fans wouldn't have to buy the repackaged "deluxe version" of a CD they already own.

Contact Glenn Gamboa at 631-843-3434.