葛莱美奖与全英音乐奖喝采的白人复古灵魂乐女伶,力邀美国流行音乐教父Albert Hammond联手制作,传媒公认嘻哈界最佳现场演出乐团The Roots献艺伴奏
*闪动复古放克神采首支单曲“Well Well Well”创造YouTube近150万次浏览点播
欧洲各国排行榜冠军,3座全英音乐奖,1座葛莱美「最佳流行演唱专辑奖」,还有全球超过650万张的亮眼销售,这些都是威尔斯女歌手Duffy/黛菲首张专辑『Rockferry』所创造的商业魅力与音乐成就。Duffy大可复制处女作的乐风,重享荣耀,只不过,她选择了一条更具挑战性的歌唱之路--要在2010年最新大碟【Endlessly】中,绽放白人复古灵魂乐更缤纷、更多样的音乐风情。
Duffy以出道大碟『Rockferry』连创“Mercy”[#1]、“Warwick Avenue”[#3]等4首英国金榜TOP40畅销曲,不仅风靡欧陆,就连在美国的人气都红不让,她受邀出席葛莱美奖,威尔斯还以她的艺名为一种黄色水仙花命名。瞬间成为人气歌手之後,Duffy曾一度浮现放弃做第2张专辑的念头,她说:「我想过远离乐坛,我真的这样想过,倒不是因为我心想『我做到了!』,我只是想念人生中的简单事物。」正当Duffy犹豫不决的时候,美国流行音乐教父Albert Hammond(*入列美国词曲创作家名人殿堂,谱写过“When I Need You”、“Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now”等畅销金曲)的一通电话,扭转了Duffy的想法。Albert在综艺节目「周末夜现场」中看过Duffy演唱"Stepping Stone"之後,对Duffy深具黑人灵魂神韵的特殊嗓音惊艳不已,於是,他打了一通电话,寻求与Duffy合作的可能性。双方从Albert手边现有的作品"Don't Forsake Me"中激起创作火花,随後陆续在洛杉矶、西班牙、伦敦等地展开音乐创作;创作过程中,Duffy有一回看见嘻哈传奇乐团The Roots在电视上的演唱,她非常喜欢The Roots的现场风格,於是在凌晨两点打电话给The Roots以及Island Def Jam音乐集团老板L.A. Reid,在L.A. Reid的安排下,The Roots成为Duffy新专辑的伴奏乐团。
在新作【Endlessly】中,Duffy希望藉由The Roots那份自发性的音乐伴奏活力,取代时下过於仰赖先进科技录音器材的机械化听觉,同时也力求为自己的怀旧灵魂唱腔创造出更多样化的歌唱空间,因此,专辑里不仅有不插电风格,也有中快板复古流行乐、流行舞曲,当然也有媲美“Mercy”、“Warwick Avenue”震撼人心的弦乐与铜管乐烘托。专辑首先穿入脑海的就是一首颤动人心的活力舞曲“My Boy”,接着是痛彻心扉的伤情歌“Too Hurt To Dance”,迪斯可灵魂乐轻快小品“Keeping My Baby”,闪动复古放克神采的首支单曲“Well Well Well”,赤裸告白自我人生的“Don't Forsake Me”,在吉他陪伴下吐露爱情渴望的“Endlessly”,有着怦然心动铜管乐相伴的“Breath Away”,令人脸红心跳的动感劲歌“Lovestruck”,融合60年代黑白电影与法国新浪潮影像感的愉悦小品“Girl”,迷情氛围结束曲“Hard For The Heart”,不管是快歌,还是慢歌,都有着一份引人入胜的听觉吸引力。The Roots的现场伴奏让Duffy的歌声更显清晰,也更贴近听者心情,而Duffy与Albert Hammond宛如穿越时空一般,将1960、70年代的流行音乐风情带到21世纪的现代,更让人折服於这个跨越世代的流行音乐合作。
“Track By Track”为Duffy对整张专辑歌曲的REVIEW不是歌曲,非完美320。
Endlessly is the second studio album by Welsh singer-songwriter Duffy. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2010 by A&M Records (under Polydor) and in the United States on 7 December 2010 by Mercury Records. Duffy worked almost exclusively with Albert Hammond Snr. on the album, with all but one of the album's songs being written by Hammond and Duffy. Four of the songs received additional or co-production by Stuart Price. Music is also provided by The Roots and Questlove. Musically, the album follows the soul stylings of her first album Rockferry (2008), although Duffy drew inspiration from a variety of other genres, including disco and soft rock, and was compared to pop singers like Kylie Minogue. It has been said that Duffy wrote the album in three weeks, although recording sessions lasted between 2009 and 2010.
The album received mixed reviews, with critics stating that Duffy faltered outside of her comfort zone, although it was called a "proper sophomore effort" and "Effortlessly", and was often compared to Rockferry, in terms of both commercial and critical performance. Vocally, Duffy's falsetto and vibrato were both criticised and praised, being called "delicious to some and cloying to others." Commercially, it did not replicate Duffy's success with her debut, reaching just number seventy-two on the US Billboard 200. Nevertheless, Endlessly reached the top ten in Denmark, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It has been certified gold in four European countries thus far, including the United Kingdom.
The only single from Endlessly, titled "Well, Well, Well", did not perform well on national charts, and was only a modest European success, reaching a peak of thirty-seven on the European Hot 100 Singles chart and number forty-one in the UK. The single features a rhythm section by United States hip hop group The Roots. Duffy promoted the album extensively throughout the world, performing on many television shows and conducting an array of print interviews. A live extended play (EP) of songs from the album was released in Germany in 2011 and plans for a concert tour are listed as "coming soon" on Duffy's website. However, since releasing the album, it has been announced that Duffy is taking an extended break from the music industry to work on her third studio album, and the planned second single from Endlessly – "My Boy" – was cancelled, though a single mix of the title track was digitally released.