Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 1.5 / 5 Reviewer: Michelle Kennedy |
In this era of pop-diva overload it behooves each and every one of these women to distinguish themselves in a legitimate and interesting way; some of them have even done it. Lady Gaga has because a champion for freaks everywhere, Rhianna has tied herself so perfectly to Jay-Z that she’ll be famous as long as he is and Duffy? Well, remember that episode of Friends where Phoebe gets sick and she is suddenly a much better singer, so when she gets well she does everything in her power to get sick again? Endlessly sounds like that: like she tried to get sick to sound amazing and instead all she got was an annoying head cold that made her voice sound like some combination of Willow Smith and Fran Drescher.
Listening to Endlessly it’s hard to believe that Duffy ever had a hit single (‘Mercy’ in 2008), performed at SXSW and was, for a time, a bona fide British pop star. Instead, Endlessly sounds like amateur hour on Top of the Pops, and it is endless. The oddest thing about this album is that it jumps between ballad and dance track almost in perfect opposition. There appears to be no real thought put into the pacing, mood or tone of the album as a whole. Instead it feels like Ms. Duffy is just pulling songs out of a hat. ‘Lovestruck’ is particularly upsetting, though the faux-vintage ambience at the top of ‘Endlessly’ is enough to make any audiophile a little queasy. The only track worth another listen is the acoustic version of ‘My Boy’ at the end of the album. It bears a second listen, not because it is so exceptional, but because it is good enough to remind us of the hit Duffy once had and what this album should have and likely could have been.
