Rockferry BY Duffy Reviewed by Adam D. Miller    Let’s get something straight, right off the bat. The comparisons immediately drawn between Duffy and Amy Winehouse are about as fair as comparing John Lennon with Mick Jagger or Johnny Rotten with Joe Strummer. In other words, lumping the two young British singers together has a lot more to do with shared influences and background than any substantial similarities. It’s also worth mentioning that while Winehouse continues to spiral downward into drugs and excess, 23-year-old Duffy (born Aimee Duffy in Gwynedd, Wales) seems to have a solid head on her shoulders, avoiding controversy thus far.Duffy has already hit it big in her native UK, where Rockferry has gone platinum (twice!) and peaked at No. 1 on the pop albums chart. It has continued to find success in the rest of the world; most recently the United States, where the album has hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200. As an album, Rockferry has its definite high- and low-points. This is mostly because Duffy sounds a lot more natural on some tracks than she does on others. The singer sounds completely in her element on the title-track and “Warwick Avenue,” and both of these songs serve as fantastic send-ups of 1960s pastiche, showcasing Duffy’s ability to belt it out and show restraint, depending on what best suits the song at that very moment. On the other hand, there are tracks like “Syrup & Honey,” which in terms of songwriting are perfectly decent, but just don’t sound right for her. Even the extremely catchy (and successful) “Mercy” sounds like it would be better suited for more of a genuine soul singer, like Sharon Jones or Bettye LaVette. But then we have torch songs like “Stepping Stone,” a track so stunning it’s a shame Duffy would even bother with anything else. In the end, it’s tracks like this and “Warwick Avenue” that convince us of Duffy’s genuine talent, even if hit singles like “Mercy” are getting her more attention. Rockferry is a promising debut that hints at greatness, and hopefully Duffy will use thee album as an exercise of what she can and can not sing effectively. |  |
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