Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
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Free Music Notes for Back to Black
Free Music Review: One of the Best CDs of 2007
Hit: 5 Stars
Although Amy has been on the scene for the last 4 years, it wasn't until her splash onto the U.S. scene earlier this year in 2007 that I was able to finally take notice. Something about all of the media surrounding her and the infectious aspect of her lead single made me take notice. Upon sampling a few songs from her CD on her website, I knew I had to buy this CD. Thus, I decided to get it, and I have been amazed by the talent that is Amy Winehouse.
Rehab--Amy's 2nd single with the catchy hook-"no, no, no..." is a great track to kick off the CD. With a unique beat and Amy's sultry vocals really sinking its teeth into the song, it makes for a really catchy, poppy song. A
you Know I'm No Good--Amy's 1st single. Although this song introduced me to Amy Winehouse, and I do appreciate it, I never really got into the song especially after hearing the rest of the CD. It's a great song--just a little weird with Amy putting herself down once again so to speak talking about being no good. B
Me and Mr. Jones--This is a great song. It's where the CD really begins to kick off. This song is reminiscent, as is most of the CD, of a soul song from the 60's. The only problem about this mid-tempo is that it's too short. A
Just Friends--This percolating, Caribbean-tinged song is my favorite on the CD. The lyrical content has Amy talking about being just friends with someone who she messes around with who already has someone. As with the previous song, my only gripe is that the song is too short. She also gives out some great vocals especially after the break-down. A+
Back to Black--Amy's 4th single, I really have not been able to get into this title track. It's a dark song, as is evidenced by its title. It has a really slow, plodding feel to it. It ties in with the rest of the CD definitely, but it's slightly boring for me at least. B-
Love is a Losing Game--Amy's current single, this song is arranged perfectly. It has that old school vibe to it. Plus, Amy interprets the lyric perfectly. Everything works together in the song. A
Tears Dry On Their Own--After being on a down note for the last 2 songs, Amy returns with that energy yet again. With some nice instrumentation and a feel-good vibe about it, this song really has that old dancin' in the rain 60's feel to it. A-
Wake Up Alone--This is one of those slow burn, bluesy songs with Amy talking about waking up alone after all of the foolery of the day. The feel to this song really works on the CD. A
Some Unholy War--Although I never have really listened to the lyrics of this song well enough to understand it, I still appreciate the lyrical interpretation and sound to the cut. I enjoy the background vocals to this song. A-
He Can Only Hold Her--Here we go again--with that dancing, feel-good vibe again. This cut reminds me so much of a Smokie Robinson jam that it's ridiculous. I really feel this cut. Yet again, the problem with this is that it's over way too soon. A+
Overall, Amy brings something new to the mainstream music industry with a unique fashion/personal style, a nice, naturally soulful voice, a cohesive theme to her CD and just something that many who has eclectic musical taste can enjoy. I really appreciate this. For 2007, I feel as if it's a true mini-musical masterpiece. I'm looking forward to her 3rd CD already.
Free Music Review: wonderful music with honest and meaningful lyrics
Hit: 5 Stars
Back To Black by Amy Winehouse features her talents as a professional singer, songwriter and guitar player. She even provides her own background vocals on some of these tracks! I'm impressed. Amy certainly has her personal demons; but she does an incredible job performing the songs on this CD. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is beautifully done. The liner notes include the song lyrics as well as the credits.
The album begins with Amy singing her heart out on "Rehab." She sings of a woman, probably based in part on her own experiences, who is not exactly eager to go to a rehabilitation center as a way to get better. The musical arrangement has a strong percussion element that supplies the foundation for the music; the guitar and brass work well for "Rehab" to create a lush musical arrangement. Nevertheless, this arrangement never steals the spotlight away from Amy's vocals; and "Rehab" is a powerful, catchy and memorable number. "You Know I'm No Good" starts off with what sounds like a rap or hip hop musical intro; but when the music goes into the main portion of the song you get that `60s style arrangement Amy does so well. Amy sings this without a superfluous note and she never falters. "You Know I'm No Good" explores complicated, painful love relationships and Amy delivers this like a champ! In addition, I really like "Just Friends;" Amy sings this wearing her heart on her sleeve. Her excellent diction enhances her performance even more and again the music fits in perfectly with her singing.
"Back To Black," the title track for this album, reminds me of a tune The Supremes might have released in their time. Amy delivers this without a hitch and that's grand. "Back To Black" deals with the pain that can come with the ending of a love affair; and "Back To Black" is obviously a major highlight of this album. "Love Is A Losing Game" is another tune that explores the painful end of a love affair. "Love Is A Losing Game" also has a somewhat mellow, old school vibe arrangement to accompany Amy as she sings this to perfection and beyond! "Wake Up Alone" has complex key modulations but Amy handles this like the pro she is and always will be! "Wake Up Alone" stuns me with its beauty even though it's not the happiest of songs; Amy Winehouse does a great job on "Wake Up Alone."
"Some Unholy War" has Amy singing, playing guitar and providing her own backup vocals. "Some Unholy War" has Amy squarely in the spotlight--right where she belongs! Although the track set appears to end with "He Can Only Hold Her," the CD has silence for about 20 seconds before we are treated to a remix of "You Know I'm No Good." Excellent!
Back To Black still sells well years after its release; and this proves just how wonderful the music is on this album. This CD is a "must-have" for Amy's fans; and people just discovering Amy would do well to start with this album. In addition, people who enjoy songs with a retro soul flavor to them will not be disappointed.
Free Music Review: Scorching
Hit: 5 Stars
Although it tends to be an American genre, England has produced a number of R&B vocalists. Perhaps the best known is Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who took a cue from jazz artist Peggy Lee and combined it with the soul inflections of such girl groups as Martha and the Vandellas. In similar fashion, Amy Winehouse (b. 1983) works on the foundation laid by Dinah Washington and combines it the style of such 1960s girl groups as The Ronettes. But if Springfield is the white diamond of the R&B world, Winehouse is the black opal: the two may come from essentially the same musical space, but Springfield burns while Winehouse sizzles.
Winehouse first gained fame with the 2003 recording FRANK, which won several awards, was critically applauded, and quickly went platinum in sales. Winehouse herself was less enthusiastic about it, considering too commercial and too slick, and when she went back into the studio she demanded and got greater control over the production. The result was the 2006 BACK TO BLACK, easily one of the best R&B scorchers since Springfield's 1969 DUSTY IN MEMPHIS. By the time of its release, Winehouse had become a controversial figure, adopting Ronnie Spector's beehive hairdos and miniskirt dresses while drifting into alcohol and drugs in a way that quickly became infamous. On-going speculation about her chemical dependencies led Winehouse to write and record the album's signature cut: "Rehab," a strange mixture of R&B, South American edges, and slap-in-the-face, tough-girl lyrics that startled virtually everyone who heard it.
The remaining cuts--nine plus a remix--followed suit. Several of the cuts are very distinctly in the manner of Dinah Washington, perhaps most obviously "Me and Mr. Jones," but although Winehouse has clearly picked up licks from other artists she is never less than herself, an completely distinct and original voice, truly a "star" voice. Winehouse cultivates a slightly sleazy sound that proves a knock out on "You Know I'm Good," and each cut has a somewhat retro-quality that recalls the wall of sound, with the title "Back to Black" and its piano jitter, bell chords, and girl-voice-back-ups a marvelous case in point. While these four cuts leap off the album, every selection is very, very fine. No doubt about it, the woman can sing.
But wonders if she will continue to do so. Drug and alcohol problems, troubled romances, and publicity disasters have kept Winehouse largely silent on the music scene since BACK TO BLACK proved such an international smash. The music world has lost too many talents to drugs, and it is a tradition more honored in the breach than the observance. There are a lot of people hoping Amy Winehouse will pull back from the edge.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Free Music Review: Amy, Amy, Amy!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
With a Rolling Stone cover story (even though the magazine gave her album only three stars!), the biggest-selling American debut by a British female, television commercials and rappers pilfering her songs, and plans to release her first album, Frank, stateside in the fall, Amy Winehouse is becoming something of a myth. But let's make one point perfectly clear: Back To Black is one of the finest albums to come along in years!
I'll be honest: American R&B has left me a bit cool in recent years, and even those who have put out decent recordings (Alicia Keys, Angie Stone) can't hold a candle to this. Some might be inclined to think of this as a pastiche. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although it is clearly influenced by 60's soul and R&B groups, this music is sharp with a thoroughly modern sensibility. Amy's voice is as soulful as they come, and her fellow musicians are top notch, turning out riff after riff that sound as though they've been pulled directly from LP's of the era. Some have dared to say that there is some filler here. Those people aren't truly listening, for if they were, they would realize that all the tracks are gems. "Rehab" is a whale of an opener, and should get Song of the Year. "You Know I'm No Good" is another equally smashing piece. There's the dark romanticism of "Some Unholy War" and the heartbreaking title track, just to point out a few. My only quibble is that, for some unimaginable reason, the record label chose to replace the original closing track, "Addicted" ,with a gratuitous rap remix of "You Know I'm No Good" on the American release. A ridiculous move, but even that can't take away from the album's power.
Rarely has a non-American artist gone from unknown to A-lister so fast! And consider the package. Let's face it: Amy Winehouse would never win American Idol, or ever appear on the Disney Channel, what with her candid lyrics about addiction, sex, infidelity and all. Indeed some people are actually baffled by her rising popularity. She doesn't mince words; she's not perfect, nor does she claim to be. Of course there are some out there who can't grasp that type of talent. She's too raw, too unpredictable, and too good. Let's just hope she can keep her demons in check.
Every once in a long while an artist comes along that breaks all the rules and redefines the scene. Amy Winehouse is that artist. She is a phenomenal talent deserving of the praise she's receiving. Britain has had a long love affair with American R&B, and it seems they've taken the lead in true soul music. Any soulsters releasing new albums are going to be compared to this, so they had better be prepared. Back To Black is the new benchmark; the best album of 2007 hands down!
Free Music Review: Proving real soul singing will never die...
Hit: 5 Stars
Who would have known that a voice such as this would come from someone who looks like Nikki Sixx's little sister? Amy Winehouse nails 60's soul both from a performance and spiritual perspective with 2006's "Back to Black." Proving that image means nothing when the heart and soul are poured into the music, Winehouse literally empties her spirit on most of these tracks and the result was (for me) refreshing and surprising while, at the same time, anxious at where she's been since. The answer, of course, is that Winehouse is just as impassioned about her addictions and self-destructive behavior as she is about her singing and has spent an untold amount of time from 2007 until now in and out of legal trouble as well as rehab facilities. In fact, the kickoff song of this album "Rehab" really sets the theme for her post album problems as she exhibited poor judgement that clearly were based on those addicitions.
This mix of 10 songs (the elevnth is a remix) unambiguously combines vocal influeneces from Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and a lot of Janis Joplin. All of it backed with an amazingly simple but tight musical troupe that emphasizes the baritone sax, piano and heavy bass. My favorites include "Rehab", which is a funky fusion of jazz and soul with Amy's contralto vocals flowing fluidly through the changes. "You Know That I'm No Good" is in the same vein, but with the afore mentioned baritone sax prominently sailing throughout. "Me and Mr. Jones" and "Tears Dry On Their Own" are classic 60's soul ballads that stretch Amy's vocal abilities...these songs really show her ability to seamlessly go from soul to jazz and back to soul all the while evoking that spirit that is essential to pulling off this type of music.
A major highlight is the dark and murky "Back to Black"...starting off like an old Supreme's tune, Winehouse then inserts an overriding and powerful tonal quality that veers the song quickly from pop to something other-worldly. Almost moaning, she emotes the emptiness of betrayal: "Me and my head high and my tears dry get on without my guy."
My favorite though is "Love is a Losing Game"...this song kills me each time I hear it. A smooth and emotional ballad, this work shows Winehouse at her best vocally as she digs deep for her convictions about love and its "self professed, profound" realities. The backing music is simple, highlighted by a jazzy snare drum that's clearly been brought out prominently in the mix.
This album was nominated for 6 Grammies and won 5 (missing Album of the Year) making Winehouse an instant "artist of note". One listen to this etheral work will certainly solidify that lofty acclamation.