Awesome music!!!
I love this music!!!! I was addicted to Mercy from the moment I saw the video on VH1!! I ordered it from Amazon and I play it on and off all day long!! She's a beautiful and talented singer and I can't wait to hear more from her!!!! If you like soul, then you'll LOVE this!!!

The Black and White Of It
Can a female singer sound black and white at the same time? The same question was asked in 1983, when Madonna appeared on the scene. Apparently that question can signal universality of appeal and longevity of career. It did for Madonna, and I think it could for Duffy, one of the latest of a recent astonishing parade of girl singers from the British Isles who sound like Billie Holiday with modern muscle.

Whereas Billie was generally portrayed as a victim, these new singers reveal the conflict between being someone's "lover" and their own "person". In "Rockferry", Duffy sounds like the ghost of a 60's singer who has risen up in 2008 to find that she feels perfectly at home. In this track we first hear her unique voice and style, girlishly innocent but carrying the weight of a woman's experience. Indeed, in "Syrup & Honey", she sounds like a predecessor of Janis Joplin, if you can imagine such a thing. Duffy presents her pain with dignity in "Warwick Avenue". Is the title a reference to Dionne? Might be, since the musical arrangement of "Stepping Stone" sounds very much like Dionne's "Walk On By". And in "I'm Scared", the victim shuts down completely. She mentions "...the blank pages of my diary...the closed blinds in my home...dust gathers on my stereo 'cause I can't bear to hear the radio." But her victimization isn't complete and final. In "Serious" she suspects that things aren't right and confronts her lover. In "Delayed Devotion", her love has turned to hate. She says it, and she's sure of it. And in "Mercy", she begs for release but sounds strong and in control at the same time. To find the equal of this, you'd have to go back to Aretha's early tracks, complete with obligatory backup singers.

Perhaps the conflict, the seeming paradox, is summed up in the final track, "Distant Dreamer". This one has the sound of the 60's girl-groups, with soaring melody and strings, even the "wall of sound" associated with producer Phil Spector. However, the singer of this song, far from being an accepting victim, is playing the part while wondering if she can be her own person instead of just someone's accessory.

great/fun dvd
This is just a fun dvd and very relaxing! After listening to it a few times I have alot of new favorites.

I'M TRULY IMPRESSED
What a great find. I've been playing this by the pool this summer and everybody loves it. The CD starts off with some great numbers but it really picks up as the CD plays on, like a good CD should. The last 3 or 4 songs are the albums strongest songs. Great voice, great songs and more than one person has asked if we are listening to Dusty Springfield, NOW THAT IS A COMPLIMENT. And on top of it all, we all say after listening for a while- Amy Winehouse WHO?

A Very Strong Debut
The comparisons to Amy Winehouse are bound to turn up although while they are both retro singers, Amy is obviously the Bad Girl Shangri Las version of neo soul while Amiee Anne Duffy is the Good Girl.

Rockferry is one of the strongest debuts, heck album for that matter, I have come across in a long time. Her voice is compelling and her band is wonderful and matches her beautifully. From the somber piano on Rockferry to the lush rhythms in Serious and Syrup & Honey to the Wall Of Sound on Mercy, this is an effort from a lot of very talented people with Duffy leading the way.

As to the inevitable Winehouse comparisons I have to be honest and say that, in my opinion, none of these songs can touch You Know I'm No Good, BUT...this album as whole is far more consistent and has a much better flow than Back to Black or Frank and in many ways that makes is better as a whole for me.