Monday, Nov. 03, 2008

Duffy's Rockferry

From the way the piano bangs away at the opening chords, it's clear that 24-year-old Aimee Anne Duffy isn't planning on just singing a song: she's going to announce her arrival. Duffy delivers on the fanfare with an audacious vocal test drive that shows off impressive control in the first verse and the full fusillade of her range in the third. She makes pit stops along the way in Memphis and Motown for inspiration — and maybe takes a little too much inspiration — but as debuts go, it's hard to think of a recent one that's as instantly attention grabbing.

Hear excerpts from all the top songs of 2008: