Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black": Raw Soul From Across The Pond
Written: Jan 19 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Soulful singing, great production, and just the right amount of spice.
Cons: One or two songs that are merely good instead of excellent.
The Bottom Line: In the tradition of great U.K. soul vocalists like Dusty Springfield and Lisa Stansfield, here comes Amy Winehouse, whose album is superior to 95% of American R&B last year.
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| speeddemon531's Full Review: Back to Black by Amy Winehouse |
Something tells me that Amy Winehouse is a name that American music listeners are going to be hearing a lot of in the coming months. While the American music scene struggles from a dearth of interesting new acts, Amy's already become a megastar in her native U.K.. Her second album, "Back To Black", as of mid-January 2007, is Britain's #1 album-setting the stage for "Black"'s stateside release this spring.
Even a brief listen to "Black" reveals a singular talent. Winehouse's vocals recall very few of today's popular vocalists in the pop or soul arenas. If she can be compared to anyone vocally, it would be unique soul sirens like Erykah Badu, Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill. At times, she seems to have come from another era entirely, recalling legendary jazz vocalists like Billie Holiday. This old-school vibe is helped by the production, which is handled by hip-hop producers Salaam Remi (Joss Stone, Nas, The Fugees) and Mark Ronson (Ghostface, Christina Aguilera). All of the songs, whether with or without the assistance of samples, have a dusty, retro vibe about them. Listening to this album will definitely give you vibes of the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound"/Motown era.
Granted, no songs from that era had lyrics like "what kind of f@ckery are we?/Nowadays you don't mean d!ck to me", as found on the slow-burning torch song "Me & Mr. Jones". Amy's definitely full of, shall we say, p!ss and vinegar, and it's authentic (hey, I prefer cussin' when it sounds like the person really means it as opposed to just trying to be naughty), as opposed to the eye-rolling "attitude" that American vocalists like Fergie and Gwen Stefani promote.
There's plenty to love here-from the slow burning reggae groove of "Just Friends" to the swelling melody of "Tears Dry On Their Own". Using a tasty sample of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", Winehouse creates a triumphant breakup anthem that you just have to sing along to. Withou sampling, she pays tribute to her inspirations on the cheeky "Rehab". Over rumbling piano, Winehouse sings "I'd rather be at home with Ray/I ain't got seventy days/'cause there's nothing you can teach me/That I can't learn from Mr. Hathaway". For the uninformed, she's referring to soul legends Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway in the lyric.
"Back To Black"'s centerpiece is the stunning title track, a dramatic tale told by the "other woman" that, musically, recalls The Beach Boys' multi-movement "Good Vibrations"-in reverse. The song makes these changes while still keeping it's pop appeal. While the songs on this album are magnificently constructed, you can still picture yourself snapping your fingers to them on the radio.
"He Can Only Hold Her" stops just short of being cheesy with an annoying "Newlywed Game"/Herb Alpert-ish trumpet sample, but the song's smooth flavor eventually won me over, as well as the fact that it rides on top of the same sample that provided the base for John Legend's "Slow Dance" (the best song on his excellent "Once Again" disc). Amy really tears it down on the lovelorn ballad "Love is a Losing Game", which appears twice on this album-in it's heartrending, produced final version and in an acoustic demo version at the album's end.
This album is a treat in a way that not many American R&B albums in 2006 were. Winehouse is a fantastic vocalist, and she's in full control of her instrument. Although I respect singers like Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, they're a bit over-the-top and there's a way to be expressive without going overboard on the vocal exclamation points. Potty mouth and all, Winehouse's album is a definite treat for thirsty fans of great music. If the stars are aligned, she will become just as successful here in the U.S. as she has in her home country.
"Back To Black" by Amy Winehouse
Released 2007 on Universal Republic U.S.
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
Recommended:
Yes
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