Duffy - Rockferry

Well it's not often I'm moved to writing a record review, but in the case of our local pride and joy, bridesmaid to my goddaughter, Chloe and all round singing sensation that is Aimee Duffy, well it's a first...........

So. Duffy: the long awaited album. I was led to expect by both the tracks that have been released already and the superb live performances that have been variously screened on youtube and on the box that this would be something very special.

What we get is essentially a box of chocolates, a curates egg; something for everyone but not everything for all. There are some superb tracks: Rockferry just builds and builds; Warwick Avenue could have come from it’s namesake [Dionne]; Stepping Stone is a grower; Mercy we all know about! Distant Dreamer is a slice of pure Spector meets Scott Walker and is another grower.

The other tracks might just get to me but on first hearing don’t do much.

The exception to this is Syrup and Honey which is awesome, stripped back to guitar and emotion, even with a little intake of breath at the beginning. For me this is the best song on the album and is a pointer to the direction [to me at any rate] she should take her craft.

As a work in progress Duffy has made an excellent start, and with experience in refining that incredible instrument that is her voice and writing good songs with the right production crew there is no reason for her second album being every bit as good as that other Amy’s second album was.

If I was coming to this cold I’d probably give it 3* but based on our Duffy’s powerful live performances to date I give it 4* and hope that the next one lives up to the potential shown here.


So there. now you know.

.