Duffy delivers with outstanding voice

Debate may rage about whether she’s as good as Amy Winehouse, whose retro style she undoubtedly emulates. But when Duffy unleashed her huge, unmistakeable voice, she was mightily persuasive.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to see her singing for a couple of dozen people in her music publisher’s offices. But this performance in front of thousands of fans was just as powerfully direct. She could probably make the O2 arena feel like your front room.

The 24-year-old Welsh singer might get to do that before long, given the 1.5 million sales in Britain for her debut album, which could well make it the biggest seller of 2008 unless Take That catch her up.

Success and a busy touring schedule have made her confident on stage. She had a string section, full band and a pair of backing singers, as well as some occasional dancers. But from the opening, clanging chords of album title track Rockferry, Duffy was the centre of attention. She kicked her heels and swung the microphone, but most of the time she simply delivered that barnstorming vocal.

It was supremely strident during Hanging On Too Long, but even less substantial songs such as Serious swept you along thanks to her dramatic
delivery.

Perhaps Duffy needs a few more hits for a truly top-notch show, but the recent single Rain On Your Parade from the deluxe edition of her record is a promising start. With its surging strings and darker sound, it was even better than some more familiar tunes.

Duffy didn’t have much to say beyond noting that these lovelorn songs were important to her, but that made for a brisk, no-nonsense set.

She began Warwick Avenue with a fearless a cappella performance, while Stepping Stone was stirring and defiant — and all the better for avoiding the tiresome vocal acrobatics of some of her rivals.

The opening notes to Mercy received a noisy reaction, and Duffy’s Sixties-style, hip-wiggling rendition helped get a singalong for the No 1.
She then returned with even more determination for the encore, flapping a hand at the violinists to get them off their seats during Distant Dreamer.

Perhaps there’s a diva in Duffy as well as that astonishing voice.

Duffy
O2 Academy Brixton
Stockwell Road, SW9 9SL