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Rockferry
Rating: 4.5 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
When I first saw Duffy at this year's South By Southwest music festival, I complained that her vocals sounded so commercialized that they should have their own bar code. Backed by an airtight band, her sound was so slick, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had leaked from a shipwrecked oil tanker. She hadn’t. Instead, the 23-year-old singer shot to fame after finishing second in the Welsh version of American Idol. Yes, you read it correctly. Runner up. Wales. So you can imagine my surprise when I played her album and was immediately captivated by the opening tune, “Rockferry.” Backed by swirling strings, piano, funeral-paced percussion and a twangy guitar, Duffy lets loose her inner Dusty Springfield for a tune that is both emotionally and musically captivating. Unfortunately, it’s downhill from here. Despite a helping hand from former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler (he produced and played on most of the album), Duffy offers up cruise ship cabaret soul that lacks the sheer power of the Supremes or the weighty punch of Amy Winehouse. When Duffy drops the slick sound, as she does on the bluesy guitar and vocal-torch song “Syrup & Honey,” she proves that underneath the gloss she does have a great voice. It’s a shame that these moments are few and far between. (Mercury)
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