Natalie Duncan’s debut album Devil In Me was released in 2012 on Decca, home to Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum and Tori Amos, a rare signing for the unknown artist in her early 20s from Nottingham. She has something special. Sitting coyly at the piano Natalie delivers her own unique songs with deeply personal and challenging lyrics and her, sometimes curious, musical thoughts that have seen her described as “somewhere between Radiohead and Nina Simone” or, alternatively, “compositionally… between Pink Floyd and Alicia Keys” (Nusic).
And if it’s the voice you’re after – even taking with a pinch of salt the hyperbolic comparisons to Paloma Faith (“Imagine if Paloma Faith could sing as well as she dresses” – BBC Online), Amy Winehouse (“just might steal the crown of Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black as the soundtrack to heartbreak” The Express), and Adele (“If Adele comparisons must be invoked, imagine Someone Like You crossed with Bohemian Rhapsody sung by Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.” MSN Music) – Natalie Duncan also has the voice, in bucketloads.
Is it jazz, is it blues, soul or pop? Does it matter? Fans would say there’s no need to name-check – they just come to hear Natalie, who charms, amazes and quietly inspires.