Duffy – Rockferry
With more meat on her than Amy Winehouse and brimming with more Britishness than Joss Stone, Welsh diva Duffy will surely sit comfortably on the throne of UK Soul for the rest of 2008. Her debut album “Rockferry” comes packed with all the pain, passion, and energy you would expect from a good old fashioned soul record.
Hailing from the Llyn Peninsula, the twenty-three year-old shot to prominence in January when she came second in the BBC Sound of 2008 awards for emerging talent, voted by music industry aficionados. Together with eyebrow raising performances on Jools Holland and a stonking new single, Duffy is surely one of the brightest new lights on the British music scene.
Her sound has a distinctive retro sixties feel with strings, organ and glockenspiel decorating her blissfully smooth and yet powerful vocals. Her debut single “Rockferry”, produced by Bernard Butler, was an instant hit and was Jo Whiley’s and Edith Bowman’s record of the week on Radio 1. Her latest offering from the album ‘Mercy’is undoubtedly the standout track from the album and rocketed straight into the charts at number one. An irresistible track which will have you dancing and singing along whether or not you have any discernable skill for either.
The depth of Rockferry can be seen in a mid-tempo success of ‘Serious’ and the emotionally charged ‘Warwick Avenue’. The latter demonstrates a subtlety of vocals and versatility of song-writing that should ensure Duffy a long career at the top. Her sound is big and the dancehall echo on many tracks often makes you wonder if you’re listening to a classic Motown album.
Having become the first Welsh solo artist to top the UK charts for twenty five years Duffy has clearly made a grand entrance and few would doubt that more ground-breaking success will follow. She is naturally massively popular in her native Wales where she has enjoyed success with her self-titled Welsh language EP ‘Aimee Duffy’. Appealing to both young and old Duffy will undoubtedly be one of the biggest hits of the year.