Music : Warwick Avenue [7" VINYL]

Rating: - Beautiful song - another well-deserved hit for Duffy
Duffy truly is 2008's shining star. Of all the new acts that appear each year there is always one that completely captures that hearts of the nation and whose songs dominate the radio with their brilliance. 2008 is without a doubt Duffy's year. With her debut album still riding high in the top 10 of the UK album chart months after its initial release we now get treated to Warwick Avenue, the brilliant second major single from the rcord (third if you count the title track getting its minor release last year).

I think i actually like Warwick Avenue even more than Mercy. Whereas Mercy was a unshamedly get-up-and-dance pop record with an incredibly instant hook, Warwick Avenue retains that same pop sensibility and moulds it around a lush retro-tinged soul track, a heartwarming ballad that kicks off with just a guitar and Suffy's wonderful voice before building up with some simply divine strings.

The song's success, reaching number 3 in the UK singles chart is testament not only to Duffy's talent as an artist, but also the consistency of her album - many acts do well with the first single off an album and then fare poorly after that - but not so for Duffy. Warwick Avenue is simply the next step in what is sure to be an extremely successful career. With songs as good as this, that success is assured.

What i love so much about this 7" version of the single though comes in the form of the b-side, 'Loving You'. Duffy has come up with some absolutely brilliant b-sides on her previous 2 singles and this follows in that tradition. An extremely strong track that, it's got a lovely guitar solo in it and beautiful lyrics to complement an instantly memorable melody -'We are sunlight, we burn so bright' sings Duffy and you just fall in love with her even more than you already are.

Track Listing:

1. Warwick Avenue
2. Loving You