This mixture of poetry and music is something that Duffy has become increasingly interested in, especially as the sultry jazz tones lend themselves perfectly to the themes of love and passion which have so dominated in her recent poetry. Rapture is no exception. Each poem focuses on the nature of love, following an affair from its joyous, passionate beginnings, right through to its bitter and deflating end. As with her previous collections, the power of Duffy’s poetry comes from the simplicity and boldness of the words, organised in such a way as to create deep trenches of meaning that pull the listener into understanding.
 | | Eliana Tomkins |
Duffy’s softly spoken recital, infused with the power of the hidden complexities of her words, is spell-binding. Text particularly stood out with its focus on the modern obsession with text messaging and how this impacts on how people conduct their relationships. Row was intensely moving and extremely evocative of a painful situation and China Town radiated with all the excitement of a first date. This poetry feels like something that Duffy has always been working up to. It echoes her earlier love poetry, such as the dreamlike Words, Wide Night and the sonnet ,Anne Hathaway, but goes a step further by providing a structure and loose narrative that fuses emotion into a compelling and accomplished collection. Alternated with Duffy’s readings are Eliana Tomkins and her jazz band’s musical take on the poems. Eliana’s voice is rich and lyrical but her cool style of deliverance often means that words slide out of thought as the focus shifts to the emotion of the music. The songs are very easy to listen to, cleverly incorporating the poetry, whilst still maintaining a character of their own. Put against Carol Ann Duffy’s performance however, the jazz band cannot help but pale in comparison, although this more a comment on the vibrancy and pull of Duffy than it is on Eliana Tomkins. | 
