Sunday, July 20, 2008

Review of Duffy's Rockferry Album


Me: Her album reminds me of NYC on a December evening.
Neal: More like Liverpool on a November afternoon
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The month and city doesn't really matter, but it has to be cold, and it has to be a gritty city like NYC, Chicago or Liverpool. It can't be some pansy ass city like SF (Sorry to my Northern California friends) or some fake ass city like LA (its home but its an honest assessment). Duffy's album, which I've had on re/peat for the past two weeks, is definitely soulful and has its roots in a cold city.
As my friend Neal mentioned, it will make you wax poetic for Fleetwood Mac, the classic 60's motown soul and even some Supremes. It is full of layers, her voice isn't as strong as others, but it is multifaceted, melancholy at some junctures, almost as full bodied as Nina Simone at others, and mellifluous like honey melting over brie, especially in a song titled "Delayed Devotion."
As poignant as her songs are, however, they are full of hope, in the classic r&b sense. There is a constant feel of pain/growth, a look to the future, that is perhaps the only thing that keeps mankind alive.

I like every single song on her album, and that is rare. Check her out.
Duffy- "Rockferry"
Release Date: 03.03.2008
Label- Island/Mercury

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