Customer Reviews
Manufactured "Next Big Thing"
Evidently some music industry executive has decided that this album is going to be the Next Big Thing in music, because of the amazing advertising ... free song video download from iTunes using redeemable cards at Starbucks, ads on prominent webpages (possibly the way you got to this webpage), etc.
This would be necessary as the music won't sell itself on your own, unless you're looking for the latest in music fashion or bubblegum sounds. It's empty. Overused pop music hooks twisted around and sold again ... annoying, screeching vocals ... the usual vapid lyrics. It's just so boring. Any of the last ten contestants on American Idol could have done better.
Excited For Duffy
Love her sound! It does sound almost soulful to me, and kind of stripped down to a point. I like her the most out of the girls so far whom have come over to the US from Europe. Can't say I like Amy Winehouse but I do like this girl!! So far this is one of my favorites in 2008. I hope she has a long career ahead of herself.
Exceptional Debut Album - 4 ½ stars5
British starlet Duffy debuts in the U.S. with a fantastic first outing, ROCKFERRY. Sure, she doesn't have the throaty vocals of Amy Winehouse, the soft controlled soulful vocals of Corinne Bailey Rae, or the soulful, vocal inflections of Joss Stone, but she does have a distinctive voice herself. She's not completely soulful, but she's also not completely pop in nature, which makes Duffy quite the viable crossover artist in between the two extremes. There is enough singer-songwriter about her to allow her to rock (albeit softly), and enough grit and nuance within her vocals to allow her to belt it out. Coupled with the pop-soul production backdrops, the results in which Duffy yields are great. I have no doubt she could see success here in the U.S. Much like James Morrison, she has certain soul to her that sometimes comes up short is contemporary soul in the U.S.
The album opens with "Rockferry", a great singer-songwriter tune that is more pop than soul. However, listening to the title track, you can't help but hear a certain caliber of soul within Duffy's vocals. "Warwick Avenue" has a certain pop-soul feel to it, similar to Corinne Bailey's "poppier" songs. The arrangement makes you reminiscent of a song that Dionne Warwick would've sang in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The strings are absolutely to die for here, given this track an incredible retro feel. "Serious", continues this trend and may just be the most soulful tune up until this point. Vintage sounding electric piano, lush strings, and rhythmic guitars make you feel like you're enjoying the glory days when all music was connected in the 1970s. Here vocally, Duffy sounds incredible, with her somewhat whiny, yet overall enjoyable vocals.
"Stepping Stone" proves not to disappoint either, with its subtle, restrained production work. Here, Duffy's vocals shine strongly over the understated production work. Again here, Duffy balances pop with soul for an excellent fusion between the two, which is maintained throughout ROCKFERRY. The following two tracks, "Syrup and Honey" and "Hanging On Too Long" are by far my favorite tracks of ROCKFERRY. "Syrup and Honey" is by far the albums most obvious soul-cut, which reminds me a track that would be right at home on a vintage soul album or a missing track from Amy Winehouse's BACK TO BLACK album. Here on "Syrup and Honey", Duffy definitely earns her vocal credibility, if only for her soulful "Baby, baby, baby" during the end of the verses. It is the perfect track in which every inflection and nuance by Duffy is Grammy worthy. "Hanging On Too Long" similarly proves to ooze of understated-soul, which may be what truly makes Duffy sound so great. Vocally, this is another on-point performance, with an incredibly catchy refrain.
"Mercy" continues the consistency of ROCKFERRY, lifting production work from vintage soulful productions. "Delayed Devotion" is another nearly perfect track, which sounds like something that Olivia Newton-John would sing in the 1970s (though Duffy is much better). Catchy with a great poppy nature, "Delayed Devotion" is another 5 star track in my eyes. "I'm Scared" and "Distant Dreamer" end this exceptional album just as strongly as "Rockferry" opened it.
Essentially, I believe this album is one of 2008's best. Duffy could possibly be another commercially successful British import here in the U.S. in my eyes. Even if she isn't, she has certainly released one of 2008s best albums nonetheless. That in itself is a gargantuan accomplishment. Excellent vocals, excellent songwriting, excellent production-work. 4 ½ stars Duffy!!!
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