Album Review: Duffy - Rockferry

Being the die-hard fan that I am of both Ms. Winehouse and Ms. Goldfrapp (who described Aimee Duffy, the Welsh songstress known to the entire world solely by her surname, as a clone of the aforementioned vocalist), I must admit that I was quite skeptical of whether her debut album Rockferry would be worth anyone’s, let alone my time. Once I’d reached the middle of my pleasantly surprising first listen, I realized that despite her record label’s attempt to prove that she is the second coming of Dusty Springfield, in reality Duffy is just another in the long line of British blue-eyed soul-pop singers a lá Lisa Stansfield or James Hunter.

Besides her catchy hit single “Mercy”, and the equally radio friendly “Serious”, the breakup tunes “Stepping Stone”, and “Warwick Avenue” owe a great deal more to Simply Red than Springfield.

“Hanging On Too Long” and “Delayed Devotion” are worthy attempts to recall Gladys Knight and Marvin Gaye’s most memorable work. The title track is a smooth combination of sixties soul with nineties’ styled rock n roll and has a guitar solo that still causes me to bob my head in a state of complete admiration.

“Distant Dreamer” could have served as the soundtrack to an Olympics game promo, but I was still struck by its earnestness. Rockferry never overstays its welcome and proves that both Duffy and producer Brendan Butler (formerly of the nineties Britpop outfit Suede), have faithfully adhered to two of pop’s most important rules: 1) Don’t be afraid to belt out a pretty melody, and judging by the album’s short length 2) Always leave ‘em wanting more.