Duffy-Rockferry
CD Review
Artist: Duffy
Label: Universal
Released: May 13^th, 2008 

Reviewed By: Sarah Miller (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada)

If you could judge an album by its cover, you might think that Rockferry is a reprint from the 1960s. The debut album from Welsh songstress Duffy was released in the UK in March 2008 and quickly climbed to the top of the charts. In February ‘Mercy' was the number one downloaded single in Britain. It seems there is a soul revival going on in the UK, and Duffy is Amy-Winehouse-Lite: minus the crazy hair, crazy eyeliner and substance abuse.  

Rockferry is full of strings and heartbreaking ballads that showcase Duffy's passionate and soulful voice, set off by grooving bass lines and 60s style organs that make the songs interesting to listen to. Rockferry probably won't make you want to get up and dance, but you may bob your head or sway from side to side a little.

The first single, ‘Mercy' is one of the few upbeat, danceable tracks on the album and features the sweet, sweet sounds of a B3 organ.  ‘Warwick Avenue' borrows heavily from the Motown sound, built off a bass line that sounds suspiciously like ‘Sugar Pie, Honeybunch'. In the British press, Duffy has been compared to the ‘White Queen of Soul', Dusty Springfield and the similarity is most evident in the slow grooving ‘Delayed Devotion'. Duffy's voice is unique and powerful enough to carry a song all by itself, as can be heard on the bluesy and sparsely accompanied ‘Syrup & Honey'.  

Overall, Rockferry is a high-quality debut album from a talented young soul singer, with a gift for songwriting. Her band and arrangements are solid, and if she can manage to stay away from the crack and the heavy eyeliner, her musical future seems bright.
 

Suggested Downloads: ‘Mercy'; ‘Warwick Avenue'; ‘Delayed Devotion'
 

Rockferry
Warwick Avenue
Serious
Stepping Stone
Syrup & Honey
Hanging on Too Long
Mercy
Delayed Devotion
I'm Scared
Distant Dreamer