We’ve been waiting for the debut release from Duffy for what seem like an age. Proving herself busy on the live circuit with strings of dates and a residency in London, not to mention her opening single which crept out of nowhere and dazzled her new found audience with it’s effortless harkening back to such soul legends as Dusty Springfield. Then of course there is her new release ‘Mercy’ which has already pipped the number one spot purely on downloads alone. Yep, she’s made quite an impression already, but the question that me (and doubtless others) were meaning to ask was, can she sustain the impetus she has garnered over the space of an album.

Well, the album ‘Rockferry’ is here and the short answer is quite frankly a resounding ‘yes’. There’s a clutch of singer/songwriters out there at the moment and with the exception of a certain Miss Winehouse, the rest of them do kind of pale into insignificance when they are faced with the voice behind the songs and performances on offer here.

Of course there are bound to be Winehouse comparisons aplenty with the release of this album, and that would be fair comment. Both are steeped in a tradition of soulful delivery. Whereas the former seems to evoke memories of the rootsier darker downright more sinful side of the coin Duffy differs in the respect that she comes more from the ‘white bread’ powerhouse delivery that was previously the domain of the likes of Dusty Springfield.

Not all the tracks on here are quite as immediate as the two singles, but that’s not to say they won’t grow on you pretty quickly. The powerhouse delivery Duffy employs is effortless and you find yourself wondering if she can deliver like this on her debut what will a few years more experience turn her into. Musically there is a mixture of sixties authenticity (Stepping Stone, Rockferry) interspersed with a more modernistic approach to the production (Mercy). Either way the voice sits well in either of these differing musical dimensions.

The album is released on March 3rd, without question it should go on your “must have” list.