Duffy

Duffy
Rockferry 2008 Mercury

Welsh vocalist Duffy is one of the latest in the line of young ladies leading the charge of New Soul, and while I do not think that Amy Winehouse comparisons are inappropriate, I would have to say that Duffy has the more compelling and stronger voice while also exploring a different facet of Soul Music than Winehouse. And unlike her British counterpart, it is far more likely that we will get more albums by which to better judge her legacy.
The songs on Rockferry tend to be more atmospheric and sultry but also far more wistful and lacking any form of self-consciousness. They rely heavily on techniques utilized by the great Motown producers and even Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound. With thumping bass throughout, brilliantly subdued guitar, drums played with the perfect mix of funk and soul and downright amazing backing vocals, the album is an absolutely underplayed and welcome assault. The slow-building title track opens the album, giving way into something ethereally epic with each second that passes. And even armed with pulsating and commanding songs like 'Mercy' and 'Delayed Devotion' the album is far less hip than any of the new soul divas, but that is by far its strength and in many ways, it feels far more genuine than most.
And most striking about Duffy herself is the modesty with which she carries herself. When responding to praise about her album, she quietly replies that she "can't take it in, because I didn't do it on my own," before citing the plethora of help she had in producing the album. Some have criticized her and others within the movement of misrepresenting true soul, something she partially agrees with, saying that she is not trying to define it, but she also disputes the claim that a 24 year-old white woman from Wales cannot have soul, saying that race should not be an issue and she has the perfect album to back that argument up.