Customer Reviews

Rockferry

5 star:		(156)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

"Rockferry" is the most gorgeous evocation of classic pop-soul for years, and make no mistake, this is an album which wears its nostalgic credentials with no apology, only the new single "Mercy" betraying a hint of the 21st century about it.
"Warwick Avenue" lopes into action with a hint of The Temptations' "My Girl", "Stepping Stone'" s pensive intro seems to scream "Walk On By" and "Syrup And Honey" has more than a whiff of the Stax sound about it.
And then there are all the production nods towards Motown and Phil Spector - the tambourines set in cavernous reverb, the searing strings, the tremolo guitars.
All of this would be so much stylistic dressing-up were it not for the quality of the songs and the allure of Duffy's voice - a full-throated expressive wail which is never less than equal to the big arrangements.
The comparisons with Dusty Springfield are so wide of the mark.
Dusty was a much lustier performer.
Yes Duffy has the same look and works in the same pop landscape Dusty strode, but Duffy's voice is much more steeped in the tone of the poppier Motown songstrels.
If Duffy is the new anybody, she is the new Amy Winehouse, which makes it particularly ironic that the Welsh girl's missing forename is also Amy/Aimee.
For Duffy, like Winehouse, is utterly immersed in classic soul music, but where Winehouse now seems blurry and damaged, Duffy is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Duffy is the sweet to Winehouse's sour, the blonde to Amy's tattered brunette.
This is an album every bit as solid as "Back To Black", with tracks that sound like dusty soul standards.
The result is mighty good pop.

Back to Black
Always
19
The Very Best of Dusty Springfield
Dusty in Memphis

I'm sure a lot of people are going out and buying Duffy's debut album, "Rockferry," after hearing the single "Mercy." I am one of those people, and when I listened to the CD in its entirety, I was blown away because "Mercy" is probably the weakest song on the whole album, which says a lot because "Mercy" is such an amazing song. However, the rest of the album is even better! Duffy's voice is out of this world. It's soulful, powerful, and absolutely beautiful. People who compare her to the likes of Nina Simone and Dusty Springfield are not exaggerating, but Duffy is really in a league of her own, as she brings a youthful panache to every song.

As for the album itself, I don't even know where to begin. All the songs are incredible. If I have to pick a favorite, it's probably the title track, "Rockferry," which is amazing. My jaw literally dropped when I listened to it for the first time. Other highlights include the wistful "Warwick Avenue," the soulful ballad "Stepping Stone," the blues infused "Syrup & Honey," and the inspiring "Distant Dreamer."

My one complaint about this CD is that it's too short...there are only 10 songs, but they are OUTSTANDING songs. Duffy has an amazing career ahead of her, and if you only buy one CD this year, make it "Rockferry."

Duffy-Rockferry ****1/2

Listen, good tunes is good tunes. Those naysayers who are calling this just a trendy, marketed album that wouldn't sell if it weren't for the advertising, well I must argue that untrue as I have never seen, nor heard an add for the album. I heard the voice on the radio and bought the album. So there ya go. She is apparently Welsh which must be where the charm in her looks and vocals come from. The smokey feel of her voice and the martini lounge attitude of the instrumentation make Rockferry a very rewarding debut album. On that note, this sounds very advanced for a debut.

Songs like the sultry lead single (destined to be a massive hit) 'Mercy' and the defiant 'Stepping Stone' so a heavier more intense side to Duffy, while others like the elegant 'Warwick Avenue' and the Dusty Springfield-ish 'Serious' show a more refined, but none the less soulful side of her.

While I do see that yes, there could be improvement but, not much, and for a debut, this is a damn good one. Duffy is destined to be a big star and rightfully so. The girls got soul!

This debut from sultry Welsh chanteuse Duffy is yet another wonderful trip back in time. A Dusty Springfield for our time, Duffy evokes memories of the simple, carefree and optimistic 60s in easy-going songs of love, both longed for and lost. I find her voice and style of delivery totally endearing and the music, some produced by Bernard Butler (formerly of McAlmont & Butler; David McAlmont actually sings backing vocals on a couple of tracks), some by Jimmy Hogarth, some by Steve Booker and all co-written by Duffy and her aforementioned producers, is absolutely top notch.

That's the good news. The not so good news is that once again, I feel like I'm listening to a singer I'm not so sure I believe. In fairness, she gets by and takes me with her on most of the songs but when she sings on "Mercy", just for instance - a wonderfully breezy song that made it to #1 on the UK singles chart with ease and stayed there for four weeks or so - though the song is all about pleading and desperation but she just doesn't sound at all desperate. I don't hear any angst. It's the music that makes the tune for me, not so much her singing.

I remember the first time I heard Mary J Blige's "Be Happy" and being reduced to tears. I genuinely believed that she wasn't (happy, that is). My heart went out to her and I remember questioning my own definition of happiness at the time. It might sound ridiculous - in my defence, I was very young - but when I first heard Donna Summer's "MacAurthur Park", I actually believed that someone had left a cake out in the rain and that poor Donna was never going to find the recipe again. I felt distraught for her. Even Madonna had me believing her when she sang songs like "Live To Tell" and "Oh Father". Eva Cassidy had me believing everything she sang without exception.

My point basically, is that I feel that singers, especially those who decide they want to do soul, should either try to sing about what they know or develop incredibly good imaginations and/or acting skills. I have to be able to totally believe what your singing to me about and if you really want to be heralded as the real McCoy, I think that takes a bit more than a just good voice and good music.

But like I said, Duffy does impress on a number of the songs here. My favourites include "Rockferry", "Stepping Stone", "Syrup & Honey", "Hanging On Too Long", "Mercy" (I might not believe a word she's singing but it's such a catchy, bouncy song, it's impossible to resist it. I also love the video) and "I'm Scared" - all amazing songs on which Duffy truly shines. Six out of ten isn't to be sniffed at so in balance, I have to say it's a commendable debut album well worth checking out.

I just got back from a visit to the US and "Mercy" has been all over the radio. It also seems quite popular with MTV/VH1 "reality" shows who've been using it quite a bit either as theme or promo music, which is also quite telling. It went straight in at #1 on the UK album charts when it was released here back in March and she's had considerable success with it. I think she's going to have very similar and well-deserved success with it in America. I say good luck to her.

This debut by the 23-year-old Welsh singer Aimee (Amy) Rockferry has been more than three years in the making.
She's been hailed as the sound of 2008 but really she's the sound of 1964, or thereabouts - Rockferry is all saucer-eyed, glossy soul-pop in the style of Sandie Shaw, Dusty Springfield and even Lulu.
The album showcases ten self-written tracks that certainly validate the hype, with support from industry veterans Bernard Butler (of Suede, her mentor), Jimmy Hogarth, Eg White and Steve Booker.
But Butler's sonic fingerprints are certainly all over her songs, and his presence gives "Rockferry" a maturity that's lacking from the slew of wannabe Amy Winehouses.
With a distinctive sound that at times seems to belong to another era, the album is a diligently produced record that looks set for a very sharp chart ascendancy. You would think that Duffy is one of those artists spawned from Amy Winehouse's transatlantic success.
With the current appetite for classic-sounding soul and old-school R&B established, and sold out shows this new Welsh talent looks set to clean up.
Most of its songs are slower and grander than the fizzy Number One single "Mercy": the best examples are the mellifluous "Warwick Avenue" and the lung-busting "Distant Dreamer".
But while her voice is technically unimpeachable, it isn't always very moving. It doesn't sound as if there's any heartbreak behind it - too pretty for pain, too sweet for sadness.
The comparisons between Duffy and Dusty Springfield - as well as more recent contemporaries Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone - are certainly justified, but on first listening the album at times feels like little more than a showcase for her vocal abilities, with tracks like "Syrup & Honey" lacking the soul and sorrow that made similar songs by Dusty so endearing and timeless.
Anyone who had a heart could hear the similarities between Duffy and the sound of Dusty Springfield - and even Cilla Black - copping American 60s soul. Her voice is a pleasure, raw and soulful.
And there have, of course, been other comp­arisons - Duffy has perhaps inevitably been likened to that other popular young soul singer of recent'years,'the'increasingly troubled Amy Winehouse.
Duffy has dropped her first name Aimee in what appears to be an attempt to shy away from being likened to such a controversial artist. While they might be singing in the same genre, they're clearly not humming along to quite the same tune.
Winehouse's troubles are as much etched into her music as they are her body with her endless tattoos but while Duffy does indeed sing of heartbreak, there's a discernibly more optimistic tone to her tunes.
IndieLondon writes: "It's a moody, atmospheric effort built around Duffy's powerhouse vocal delivery and some genuinely thrilling background drum loops and strings".
"Rockferry is almost a very good album, but, for all the classic soul hallmarks, there's little insight into the actual soul of Duffy herself". John Lewis

Collection
Straight From The Heart The Very best Of
The Essential Cilla Black 1963-1978
Ultimate Collection
The Greatest Hits
Always
Back to Black

If your looking for Amy Winehouse here, don't. If you're looking for Dusty Springfield here, you can forget that, too, for the most part. What you'll find, mainly, is an amazing album that harkens to the ghosts of Cilla Black and Lulu from the British 60s. Both of thos artists cycled both Mersey pop and R&B ala Motown through their mod singles. Although both Winehouse and Springfield can be peripherally referenced here, it's a lazy reference at best; both of those artists are high profile at the moment, whether it be by chart status (Winehouse) or nostalgic homage (ala Shelby Lynne's latest). If you want a true point of reference for this gifted singer with fabulous taste and a great new (old) sound, go back to the early sixties Brit jukebox.

I've bought 5 albums this year and wasn't thrilled with any of them until I finally got to Duffy. This girl singer from Wales is simply amazing. Her voice has a kitten trying to sound tough quality that reminds me of the Ronnettes or a very young Aretha Franklin. This is a gorgeous album. The wall of sound is a thrill to listen to especially on Mercy and Distant Dreamer. The lyrics make sense, you can sing along and not be embarrassed at mouthing nonsense. Plus, although this goes through all the stages of young love you won't be ashamed to have your mom or your kid catch you listening to it.

Duffy has a piece of work to be proud of. I loved this.

I think a lot of the negative reviews must reflect people's displeasure with the obviously massive marketing effort being carried out on Duffy's behalf. Either that, those reviewers just don't like soulful pop music. In addition, they seem to be making a concerted effort to cast negative votes on any positive review.

All I can say is, I enjoyed Rockferry the whole way through, which is always a shock when I'm more used to being sucked in by hype, paying full price for a recording, and then only liking a couple of songs. On Rockferry, there were only one or two songs that I didn't love at first listen, but even then, they had excellent choruses that captured my attention, and I came around to appreciating the songs just a few listens later.

To those who say Duffy doesn't seem like she really FEELS the soul, I would say that sincerity of that sort is difficult to quantify, and whether a particular singer has it or not is debatable. There's also the youth angle... some seem to think that no one who is as young as Duffy can convincingly sing soul music. There is an argument to be made there, as well as an argument against. No doubt, the older a singer gets, the more life experience he or she has to put into the work, but I think life is sufficiently difficult and complicated that young people DO know what it's like to go through difficult experiences. Nor do I think you have to have grown up in a trailer or to have been abused by your parents from the age of two to experience depression, sadness, existential angst and the like. So give Duffy a break. She is the age she is.

Don't hate her because you hate her marketing campaign!

If you at all like soulful music, go out and buy this. Well, let me revise that... listen to a couple of the 30 second samples and make sure that this is your type of music, and if you like what you hear, believe me, the rest of the album won't let you down. It's sinfully cheap right now on Amazon, but it would easily be worth it at full price.

I have a six disc changer in my car. Three CDs never leave the player - Dusty Springfield's 'Dusty in Memphis', the DVD-Audio Marvin Gaye 'Collection', and Elaine Elias' 'Dreamer'. This will be the fourth. I love this CD and the only song I skip on occasion is the radio hit 'Mercy' because you hear it all the time. I tell everyone I know about this CD and play it for them if they'll listen. I would say more than half stay around long enough to hear the whole CD; more than a few now own the CD themselves.

A friend described "Rockferry" as the greatest debut album released since the first Pretenders album. Reviewers liken her to 1960's British icon Dusty Springfield, while others term her a new "Amy Winehouse." Duffy apparently was a runner-up on the Welsh version of American Idol in 2003 or so. If she was the runner-up, then who the heck won?

She's an original and charming performer with a voice that will blast you out of your seat. All 10 songs on this debut that Duffy also co-wrote with Suede's Bernard Butler are potential breakout hits. Duffy delivers "Warwick Avenue," "Mercy," "Rockferry" and most of the other songs and B-sides linked to the album with total sincerity.

Along with friends, I attended her May 12, 2008 concert at NYC's Apollo Theater, an appropriate venue for a blue-eyed queen of soul (hence the Dusty comparisons). The set was short, only about 70 minutes or so. But Duffy and her wonderful band rocked the house, leaving the audience in awe of her vocal pyrotechnics. If you get the chance, do not hesitate to see her live.

We liked her so much that I stood in line the next day to hear her at an in-store appearance where she did a great acoustic three-song set. I haven't stood in line to meet an artist before. But it was a pleasure to have a chance to say hello and wish her well with this awesome CD. Buy a copy now when it's $6.99 on Amazon. Otherwise, the price is going to jack up as more hits emerge from this beautifully-produced set. Kudos to Rough Trade Records for putting her together with Butler and striking solid gold (do they have gold and platinum albums anymore?)

If you can, also seek out an Internet copy or check out YouTube to listen to another future #1 hit - "Breaking My Own Heart" (not a track on Rockferry).

Duffy is the real deal and deserves an amazing career. She's attractive enough to be a movie star with a voice that comes along once in a generation. She also seems like a genuinely nice person and someone who really appreciates what is sure to be a devoted fan base.