Duffy: 'Mercy'

Blonde, blessed with a remarkably emotive voice and seemingly infatuated with sixties pop music, it's no surprise that Duffy keeps getting compared to Dusty Springfield. There's just one problem with this handy reference point: the young Welsh lass sounds absolutely nothing like her.

Still, there's no quibbling with the sassy delights of 'Mercy', her first proper single. A catchy, danceable Northern soul pastiche – that bassline practically reeks of sweat and stale cigarette smoke - it conjures up images of Twiggy strutting down the King's Road in a mini-skirt and kinky boots. When combined with the swingin' nightclub video, Duffy's sixties stylings teeter towards the contrived, but her rich, quivering voice is powerful enough to banish any doubts. Brit Award or no Brit Award, that Adele should be watching her back.


> Click here for our review of Duffy's debut album