Duffy

Duffy: Kitchen sink diva

Rockferry

We’ve had the hype and plenty of it and now Duffy’s debut LP Rockferry is unleashed upon us.

Many were expecting a modern soul pop treat and on the evidence of catch No1 single Mercy and a stellar performance on Jools Holland, the omens were good.

Duffy has a technically brilliant voice, there isn’t much to distinguish it from any of the soul divas of yore. You’ll catch a sprinkle of Dusty and even a hint of Lulu – it will no doubt give you a nostalgic pang, but it’s nothing new, it just hasn’t been done for a few years.

The production too leans heavily on sixties pop, familiar basslines and hooks are appropriated from classics such as My Girl and Heard It Through the Grapevine. It’s not all retro-to-go, and this is were Rockferry falls short – especially with the final track Distant Dreamer, which is just slosh.

All the ingredients are there but somehow it doesn’t all stack up, MegaStar reviewed Adele’s debut a few weeks back and it was much of the same problem. These new young soul divas, well, they just lack a bit of soul.

Swish production and an impressive set of lungs is not enough for the sophisticated ear these days, come back after the break-ups, bush dragging and prison sentences and we’ll embrace your weathered larynx’s with open arms.

We say: Perfect throwaway soul pop, who’s next?

They say: Rockferry may be tuneful and sleek; but it's also soul without much soul. Daily Telegraph

Best track: Mercy, sixties-tinged bounce-along

share this story: