U.K. soul chanteuse Duffy returns to New York Monday to play the Apollo Theater, the ground zero of soul music. Duffy has emerged as one of the UK’s most promising singers, exemplified by both her debut album Rockferry and her U.S. debut at New York’s Hiro Ballroom in Mar.

If she was nervous singing in front of a sold-out crowd that (for a change) appeared to be made up more of actual fans than curious industry onlookers, you’d never know it. With a black cocktail dress and 5-man band in tow, the singer cooed her way through her debut album, punctuating songs with sultry “ooohs” without succumbing to the melisma-filled tendencies of some of her peers. With a consistent laid-back vibe throughout the night, Hiro Ballroom almost seemed too expansive for the singer’s brand of soulful torch songs, as you half-expected the singer to be lying across a piano Fabulous Baker Boys-style. But to her credit, the hour-long set was lull-free and was, we hope,