• Record Label: Mercury
  • Release Date: May 13, 2008
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. Rockferry is a fantastic album of burning blue soul.
  2. Once the Dusty Springfield-flecked closer, 'Distant Dreamer,' comes round, you'll be wishin' and hopin' for more.
  3. Duffy's not a belter, but she boasts a cool power that is immensely aided by the cleverness of Rockferry's instrumental settings, which employ mostly acoustic instruments for a warmer sound that, in combination with Duffy's vocal prowess, stays sweet, soulful and satisfying.
  4. That ice-queen intrigue adds a certain cachet to the 23-year-old's occasionally overstudied lyrics.
  5. For a debut album it's remarkably consistent and confident, and promises great things to come for the future.
  6. Duffy is a major talent, and Rockferry is little short of outstanding.
  7. Q Magazine
    80
    It all adds up to an impressive first step that ticks plenty of the right boxes, as does Duffy herself. [Apr 2008, p.100]
  8. 80
    The shadows come richly dark, and the brillance pierces. [May 2008, p.104]
  9. Butler's production makes her solid voice and intriguing songwriting into an excellent album; although he stays in the background, the occasional guitar flourishes or sweetened strings make Rockferry a better debut than Joss Stone's or Amy Winehouse's.
  10. Husky-sweet and preternaturally seasoned, Duffy's delivery is as pungent as it is unaffected, and the songs, which the singer co-wrote, follow suit.
  11. The album is a credit to all involved; if merely pastiche, it's a marvelous one.
  12. Rockferry works as a very promising calling card.
  13. Rockferry splits its time between paying tribute to its source material and knocking it off, but its principal's vocals, and generally pleasing wall-of-sound treatment, make it a good move anyway.
  14. Although flawed, Rockferry holds a startling amount of promise.
  15. At this point, however, the movement of white UK female artists using 60s nostalgia to reinvent pop music is not all that original, but at least it’s a welcome break from the previous trends.
  16. There's nothing dislikable about Rockferry - but nothing that dazzles, either.
  17. Uncut
    60
    Rockferry is almost a very good album, but, for all the classic hallmarks, there's little insight into the soul of Duffy herself. [Apr 2008, p.84]
  18. Mojo
    60
    Sometimes Duffy tries just that little too hard to capture the sound of soul music's glorious past. [Apr 2008, p.102]
  19. Rockferry is a pretty nifty party trick of a record, but it's not enough to justify Duffy's Next Big Thing billing.
  20. Blender
    60
    There's a complancency about this record. [June 2008, p.73]
  21. Certainly Rockferry doesn’t do anything new, but it doesn’t do anything that’s been done in a while either, and for Duffy, that should be enough for Duffy to carve out her name amongst the stagnant realms of current mainstream pop.
  22. Unfortunately, its during these rather naked moments where the album falters, mostly because Duffy’s robust voice often overmatches the music that surrounds it.
  23. Duffy’s debut is hoovered of personality, principally, because on this evidence, she hasn’t got any.
  24. Duffy's the Clay Aiken of nuevo "soul."
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 58
  2. Negative: 2 out of 58
  1. Nov 20, 2021
    9
    Great debut album by the Welsh girl gotta love rockferry and mercy which have always been overplayed.
  2. Dec 7, 2016
    8
    Sang and produced to utter perfection. It feels both modern and vintage, without ever sounding calculated. It may not have turned the genre onSang and produced to utter perfection. It feels both modern and vintage, without ever sounding calculated. It may not have turned the genre on it's head, but it'll remain a classic British soul/pop record that deserved every bit of success it achieved. Full Review »
  3. Dec 17, 2014
    8
    Analizando en retrospectiva, Duffy ha sido una artista exitosa en su tierra Natal, y en si mucho de su éxito se ha acreditado a su voz, queAnalizando en retrospectiva, Duffy ha sido una artista exitosa en su tierra Natal, y en si mucho de su éxito se ha acreditado a su voz, que encaja perfectamente en el Blue-Eyed Soul, pero también (y en si lo mas importante) en que ella ha sido un puente entre Amy Winehouse y Adele, es decir, Duffy se ha encargado de mantener el Soul activo mientras se realizaba la transición definitiva. Full Review »