ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Rockferry - Duffy

 You may have remember a few years ago some song of a different vein playing on the radio, with an Amy Winehouse-esque vibe to it. Went something like "you got me beggin' you for mercy, why won't you release me?" Yes, this is Aimee Duffy, who goes by the shorthand Duffy for her music releases. Her album was meant to follow the roots of soul. Even her second album plays with disco themes along with the soul vibes. 

Rockferry is a stellar album outside Mercy, although if you are looking for more upbeat tracks, you won't find it as much. I tend to like some slower tunes though so it is an acquired taste. Certainly paved the way for popularities of Adele's classic voice back in the market. 

The album starts with "Rockferry", a song that reminds you of the old school pop vocals in a modern era. She's going to build her home on sadness but it can happen.

It slides into "Warwick Avenue", a song of losing love. She wants to be free of the pain he is causing so she is letting him go. I love this track personally. It really grabs you and the chorus line, "you think you're loving but you don't love me" cuts.

"Serious" doesn't grab me as much but I was never into the more disco-esque sounds. The background music takes me out of it, although lyrically I like the song.

I absolutely love "Stepping Stone". It has a tango musical vibe to it, the way she sings it matches the music so perfectly. It elevates about Mercy on me just for how perfect it all was done. 

"Syrup and Honey" is a sweet old style love song. I love the soulful tune to it and it is easy to listen through. 

"Hanging on Too Long" has a similar vibe to Stepping Stone which I love. I guess I have a type of song. I love this smoothness, the twinge of anger built into it. The mild disco-esque beat fits better on this song.

And of course the acclaimed "Mercy", which is a stellar song all on its own. It is the main upbeat track of the album, but she made it seamlessly fit in the tracklist. Sometimes the singles can stick out in a slower album like this so I appreciate this.

"Delayed Devotion" is a little more upbeat and love the melody in this one. So easy to get it caught in your head and sing along.

"I'm Scared" is not a bad song, but it just didn't grab me. I wouldn't skip it necessarily, but it was sang lacking a bit of emotion.

The album closes with "Distant Dreamers", which is another one I love. It is kind of sweet considering most of the album was tinged with sadness and heartbreak. It closes with dreaming of a bigger, better place to be and escaping all of it. Which is often the thing that keeps us holding on. A good ending to a solid debut.

Lyrics: 8/10 - She had good lyricism and made it fit into the melodies well.

Music: 7/10 - Solid musicianship, although a few songs musically fell flat for me.

Overall: 8/10 - I highly recommend checking out this album. She deserved her grammy and then some. It is a shame she was pulled away from the spotlight in her prime due to a traumatic event. If you loved some other modern soulful singers like Adele or Amy Winehouse, you will love Duffy.