The Welsh singer-songwriter Duffy has scored a double music chart victory after her debut album went straight to No. 1 while her song Mercy took the top spot on the singles chart for the fourth week running.

The 23-year-old’s Rockferry has sold 180,000 copies over the past week, making it the fastest-selling album so far this year.

A buzz has surrounded Duffy since critics rated her second in a BBC Sound of 2008 poll early this year. However reviews of Rockferry haven’t been as glowing as expected.

The Times critic Bob Stanley said that the album didn’t quite live up to its hype: “You can hear the perspiration behind Rockferry. And, ultimately, that's a turn-off.”

Duffy’s UK chart double follows a run of success for young, female British singer-songwriters. Scottish 20-year-old Amy MacDonald topped the charts in January with her album This Is Life, and 19-year-old Brit School graduate Adele went to No. 1 in February with her debut release 19.

Rockferry pushed a deluxe version of Amy Winehouse’s hit album Back to Black from the top spot into No. 2 position, while Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons rose to No. 3.

On the singles chart, the top five places remained unchanged from last week, with H Two 0 featuring Platinum remaining at No. 2 with the hit What’s It Gonna Be, and Nickelback staying at No. 3 with Rockstar.

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