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Duffy, 'Rockferry'

A soulful British newcomer who’s more stable than you know who

By Matt Pais

Metromix
May 12, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: Have you heard this one before? British newbie Duffy (first name: Aimee) is a highly hyped soul singer with pipes far more mature than her 23 years. (She’s about nine months younger than Amy Winehouse.) She’s earned numerous Dusty Springfield comparisons and is retro in the sense that non-sappy, heart-on-sleeve emotion is retro. Unlike Winehouse’s horn-laden tracks, Duffy more frequently anchors her songs in organs and strings. Her big break came from placing second in the Welsh version of "American Idol" in 2003, and she's finally poised to become a star after recently topping the U.K. charts with her single "Mercy."

Why you should care: Duffy’s got a killer voice, and she knows how to use it. She stuffs loads of feeling into escalating, sweetly arranged orchestral swoons like “Rockferry” and “Delayed Devotion.” The moody “Stepping Stone,” the shiver-inducing “Hanging On Too Long” and the more minimal “Syrup and Honey” are all spellbinders, and while the upbeat, gal-group groove of “Mercy” makes you wish the record wasn’t so ballad-heavy, it’s a different but arguably more rewarding listen than Winehouse’s “Back to Black.”

Verdict: Lyricism isn’t Duffy’s strong suit, as too many tunes have lazily predictable phrases (“I’m scared to face another day/’cause the fear in me just won’t go away”). But her delivery has the meaning that her words don’t, packing each song with the kind of passion that makes you want to stand in front of your mirror and belt them out yourself. (Not that we’d ever be caught doing that…) “Rockferry” is an album that could keep you warm at night when all you’ve got is yourself and that spectacular, soulful voice coming through the speakers.

X-Factor: Like Winehouse, Duffy does have plenty of emotional baggage. The highlight—or lowlight—of her rocky upbringing? Her stepfather’s first wife being imprisoned for trying to hire someone to kill him.

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