Grainne Duffy
What Am I Supposed To Do
Irish roots-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Grainne Duffy releases her sixth studio album, What Am I Supposed To Do. The album was recorded at 64 Sound Studio in Los Angeles and co-produced by Grammy-winning producer Justin Stanley (Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow) and Marc Ford (The Black Crowes).
The album features a who’s who of musicians, including Kenny Aronoff, Jørgen Carlsson (Gov’t Mule), and Peter Levin, and reveals tints of ‘70s Brit rock blended with elements of blues and soul.
Hailing from County Monaghan, Ireland, Duffy’s musical influences run deep. Raised in a home where everything revolved around music, she absorbed everything from Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash to Fleetwood Mac, BB King, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.
In 2023, Duffy released Dirt Woman Blues, an album co-produced by Grammy winner Chris Goldsmith (Ben Harper, Blind Boys of Alabama) and Marc Ford. Dirt Woman Blues hit #1 on the USA RMR Top 50 for seven consecutive weeks and was named 5th Best Blues Album of the Year by Classic Rock Magazine.
Duffy’s 2020 album, Voodoo Blues, won the Independent Blues Award for Best Modern Roots Artist and hit the charts in the U.S., UK, and France. She has shared the stage with Gary Clark Jr., Ben Harper, Billy Gibbons, Keb’ Mo’, Mavis Staples, and Alanis Morissette, along with appearing on BBC sessions with Bob Harris and Paul Jones, recording at George Martin’s Air Studios, and performing on Ireland’s renowned series Other Voices.
Performances at major festivals like Glastonbury, Telluride Blues & Brews, Bluesapalooza, the W.C. Handy Blues Festival, Australia’s Woodford Folk Festival, and the Mahindra Blues Festival have established Duffy as a premier artist.
The first song on the new album, “Early in the Morning,” jumps in and explodes with dirty rock energy. Growling guitars and raw, crunching percussion infuse the tune with wicked, sexy surfaces. A snarling guitar sizzles on the solo. For some reason, because of its visceral punch, this song conjures up suggestions of Jet’s “Cold Hard Bitch.”
A personal favorite because of its tough, blues-rock flavors, “Streets of Love” hits with beaucoup oomph. Duffy’s vocals recall the rasping tones of Steve Marriott, tight and nasty enough to send shivers up and down your spine.
“Tearing Me Apart” summons up the ghosts of Free and Bad Company – pressing out straight forward, gritty rock n’ roll. The sound of the snare and the brutal edge of Aronoff’s drums give the rhythm a luscious, walloping rat-tat-tat.
With its simple yet alluring swaying motion, “Tragedy” blends retro tangs of ‘70s rock with soulful blues into a gutsy ballad drenched in gravelly vocals.
Talking about the song, Duffy shares, “This song is one of the two covers on this record. It is a cover of the wonderful Peter Wolf song. I heard this song by chance one evening when I was looking at an Instagram post by Keith Richards, and it was all the old Stones wives together, and I think this was the song on the post. I love the sentiment in this song. It could be considered a little melodramatic, but I still think it has a nice ballad-like feel, and it works well as a duet with my husband, Paul Sherry, who sings on it with me.”
Another favorite, “Takin’ My Heart Away,” brings to mind Rod Stewart and the Faces, with its scrappy, hardcore melody. Whereas the chugging intro to “Got To Give It Up” harks back to the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Na, na, na, vocal harmonies imbue the tune with essential harmonies – big and strong.
“Need Your Love So Bad,” a slow, sliding song saturated in sad bluesy colors, ties the album off with a song about heartache. Duffy lets her voice loose on this track, strutting her ebbing and rising timbres and tonal control.
What Am I Supposed To Do emphasizes not only the guitar prowess of Grainne Duffy, but also spotlights her bravura, granular voice with its sheer passion.
