Credit: Found On Internet

Bernard Butler’s one of those people you just know has a problem sitting still. He’s one of those people who doesn’t do holidays. Bouncing from Suede to McAlmont & Butler to his solo stuff to The Tears, then back to Suede, with a bit of studio work and other various guest spots in between, Butler has kept himself busy almost constantly since 1992.

And now Rough Trade have stuck him behind Duffy, one of their protégé’s that they’ve been keeping under wraps for a fair few years now – in itself, something of an oddity in an age where acts are rushed to the media spotlight, only to become soured in the minds of the populace before their star has truly risen, let alone started to wane.

‘Rockferry’, the first track of this collaboration, starts off feeling warm and uncomplicated, with just a sliver of Amy Winehouse in Duffy’s vocal mix. But Butler’s production takes a few tones of Motown without adding the huge splatters of OTT brass that Mark Ronson slathered all over ‘Back To Black’. Instead, it’s got a self-assured momentum that slowly builds, with some sweeping strings and guitar licks that sounds like they could’ve come from Keith Richards at some point of blues-bourne lucidity.

Maybe the label are looking for someone a bit more malleable, a bit more controllable, than the Bride of Frankstein caricature that Winehouse has become. Or maybe they just want someone with an abundance of talent who is a bit less likely to inject hard drugs into their tear ducts and throw food at Snoop Dogg backstage at award ceremonies. Regardless, Duffy has the kind of voice that’s got Music Towers eagerly awaiting the long-player

And look, they’ve gone and done a video of them mucking about in Butler’s studio on another song, 'Syrup & Honey' :