Because Aimee Ann Duffy is young, British and has a rocket-powered voice that seems to find its natural expression in '60s soul music, the Amy Winehouse comparisons are inevitable. For the record, Winehouse is better. But on "Rockferry" and the delicately sweet "Warwick Avenue," Duffy proves she's at least in the game with an impressive display of vocal and emotional range. The album sags a bit toward the end, but its best songs have a captivating innocence that seems born of 24-year-old Duffy herself. On that front, she's got Winehouse beat by miles.
Listen to TIME's top 10 albums of 2008: