Description
2008 debut album from the Welsh singer/songwriter (not to be confused with Stephen Duffy, who released albums in the ’90s under the name Duffy). Welsh songbird, Duffy, came to the attention of Rough Trade Management in 2004. Rough Trade pointed Duffy in the direction of guitarist/producer Bernard Butler (Suede/The Tears/McAlmont & Butler). Duffy spent the next couple years honing and developing her songwriting skills all the while discovering hidden musical gems that inspired her. The fruits of her intense labor is this magnificent album, a masterclass in mature, resonant Pop, 10 tracks including the first single ‘Mercy’. Polydor Records.
Rockferry, the Welsh singer’s lovingly constructed debut album, has already succeeded beyond expectations, and although Duffy may not quite be the ingénue portrayed by a clever press campaign (she nearly won a local television talent show a few years back while a single credited to Aimee Duffy is still available on iTunes) she is surely the most appealing of the current flood of young soul sirens. The astonishing title track, co-written by Bernard Butler, sounded like a lost transmission that had taken decades to get through as soon as it hit radio last year. But the gently rolling soul ballad “Stepping Stone”, that strapping, inescapable monster hit “Mercy”, the ice cool “Serious” (the one time she really does channel the spirit of Dusty Springfield) and the wistful, elegant “Warwick Avenue” are similarly effective. Suggestions by some that Rockferry is little more than sixties pastiche are churlish. Butler’s previous work with David McAlmont (featured here as a backing singer) showed his skill at writing and arranging the dramatic, while her other collaborators such as Steve Booker and the team of Jimmy Hogarth and Eg White are hardly lightweights. But despite some wonderful orchestral settings, it’s Duffy’s terrific voice that makes this so satisfying, even overpowering Butler’s exquisitely underplayed guitar work on “Rockferry” itself. Growling the blues on “Syrup & Honey” or belting it out over his lovingly arranged wall of sound on “Distant Dreamer”, she sets the tone throughout, several of her songs dealing with escape, both physical and romantic. The sound of someone singing herself to stardom, Rockferry is at times genuinely amazing. –Steve Jelbert People en Español
La música soul ha invadido Inglaterra en los últimos años, el país que nos ha entregado a algunas de las cantantes más interesantes del género como Amy Winehouse o Joss Stone. Hoy llega Duffy con Rockferry, un disco fantástico en el que la inglesa demuestra que una buena voz y personalidad son más que suficientes en el mundo de la música, sin necesidad de causar escándalos o contonear las caderas esta chica ha ido conquistando poco a poco los mercados de todo el mundo. En este álbum encontrará canciones como “Mercy” con un claro sonido sesentero, pero que se coló sin problemas en las listas de hits de la música pop. Además está “Warwick Avenue,” una balada sencilla pero que le hará estremecer, también hay que destacar canciones como “Stepping Stone” o “Hanging On Too Long.” La voz de Duffy es una de las más interesantes del mundo de la música, y aunque se le clasifica dentro del pop, no por esto su música es superflua o sólo para niñas de 15 años. Si le gusta la buena música déle una oportunidad a este disco. –Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español
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