Duffy

Lately, the U.K. has been producing pint-sized singing powerhouses like nobody's business: Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Kate Nash, Adele, and now Duffy. Is something in the water? Perhaps. Like Winehouse and Adele, Duffy channels the soulful sounds of the '60s, taking hints from acts like Bettye Swann, Etta James, and Candi Staton. But unlike Winehouse, who has her tales of addiction, and Allen who has her cheeky bits about pot-smoking brothers and window-shopping nanas, Duffy has neither drama nor shtick, just songs about plain old heartache and heartbreak. But like her feisty compatriots, Duffy makes it clear that she's not going quietly into the night. The Dusty Springfield look-alike doesn't resort to foul language like some of her fellow chanteuses, but manages to get her message across just as forcefully as her more boisterous counterparts; she's not going to let some guy push her around. Another difference between Duffy and her peers, all of whom attended the prestigious BRIT school for performing arts in London, is that Duffy (who hails from a small town in Wales) had to rise to fame the old-fashioned way: working by day, and singing by night. So when she sings about her trials and tribulations she comes across as genuine, because she is in fact the real deal.

Besides embodying the sounds of the '60s, Duffy exemplifies the period's ethos as well. Rockferry is all about a woman reclaiming her freedom. On "Warwick Avenue" [watch video] Duffy sings out strongly about how she's going to leave her deadbeat lover against a backdrop of '60s-inspired orchestral arrangements. The sweet, retro ballad "Serious," finds the singer wanting to know if her man is truly serious, because she's not the type of gal who wants to waste her time. The slow, but steady, number "Delayed Devotion" leaves Duffy firmly telling her boy that he's going need another "toy" who's not going to stand up for herself. And on the chart-topping track "Mercy," [watch video] Duffy unleashes an exploding vocal energy that recalls the legendary Ann Peebles. But as she begs her lover to release her from his spell against the groovy beats, she reminds her listeners that even the strongest women have their moments of weakness.

—Elisa Jacobs
05.14.08

Those tempted to dismiss Duffy as only the latest pair of false eyelashes to straggle through the British neo-soul parade owe it to themselves to listen to Rockferry. More authentic than Joss Stone if not as honest as Amy Winehouse (both of these are good things), Duffy may be the best choice of all, whether it's because of or despite the fact that she lacks the force of personality that Winehouse has built her career on, from "F**k Me Pumps" to "Rehab." Duffy's voice can go from angelic to devilish within a few bars, and what she lacks in power and richness (her voice is a little pinched in the higher registers), she easily makes up for in the subtleties and sweetness of her vocal craft, and her ability to carry a ballad with the right combination of drama and flair. The first two tracks, "Rockferry" and "Warwick Avenue," are mirror images of each other -- grand, sweeping ballads with string-laden productions by Bernard Butler and Jimmy Hogarth that become a significant contribution to Duffy's power. Contrary to expectations, her songwriting is more strident than Winehouse's, but it's never delivered with the same type of ballsy swagger. Occasionally, she struggles to live up to the force of her lyrical convictions; her voice sounds younger than Winehouse's, and her best vocal performances come when she's wounded ("Hanging on Too Long"). Butler's production makes her solid voice and intriguing songwriting into an excellent album; although he stays in the background, the occasional guitar flourishes or sweetened strings make Rockferry a better debut than Joss Stone's or Amy Winehouse's. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide