Back to Black

This is an album review, but before I get to the music I need to talk about the lady. See, some musicians personal lives are bigger than their music. This happens, especially in today's media climate where, it's not who you are...but what you are filmed doing, that makes you famous.

Amy Winehouse. British song-bird, has been popping on and off my radar for the past few months now. For those of you who don't know, she's what I like to call "the full package." A real triple threat: she's a fantastic soul singer, she writes/co-writes her songs, and on top of all that--she's a knock out. This of course, makes her the perfect celebrity...right? Not quite.

There's one ingredient missing.

Someone say "Substance Abuse"?

*Poof* You are now famous Ms. Winehouse (yeah...great name for someone with a drinking problem, right? So ironic).

So the press loves her because she likes an occasional drink (and cancels sold out shows because she's too busy drinking, or when she vomits onstage during the first number). But beyond the hype (she was nominated for a 2004 Mercury Prize--which is given to the best album recorded by a British or Irish citizen) is Amy Winehouse any good?

I took a listen to her latest album BACK TO BLACK (her second release). Honestly, I bought it for Leah. See, Leah has a thing for classic soul music/girl groups from the 1960s. Many a long car trip-related boredom has been killed by The Supremes (thank you Diana Ross). She really likes Joss Stone, who (on paper) seems to be just like Winehouse. So I used my last $15 bucks of Borders gift card money and bought it for her. We put it on a few times this past weekend, and I got to say...it's really damn good. Despite all the hype, the fucking static/background noise surrounding this album--it's really good.

As a singer, I'd say Winehouse is from the "old school" of big, classy British singers. She sounds a lot like Shirley Bassey (who, while not a Brit like Winehouse, is Welsh and that's close enough). I also think the comparison I made to Joss Stone are valid, however I'd like to add Macy Gray to the list of people she sounds like. Not big, flamboyant Macy Gray...but the more subdued Gray who I'm sure is lurking somewhere deep within her (i.e. the Macy Gray that will probably never exist except in my own strange imagination). The Joss Stone associations are only on the surface: both are British, both sound really old (and black) but are really hot white chicks. That's about it. Oh, sure both sing about 'being strong' and 'not needing a man' but whereas I tend to doubt Stone...Winehouse is totally believable. She's the real deal.

What about the songs? This girl writes about her life. Deal with it. She bitches about her exes: boyfriends and managers. The lead single here in the US "You Know I'm No Good" has the same "classic" sound that's all over this record. She sings about modern stuff, but in a old school way. Example: she rhymes about Roger Moore (ah! a connection to Bassey?) and disses on her old boyfriend. Nice.

She's honest too. "You Know That I'm No Good" is basically her personal manifesto. This is one bad bitch. I'm scared of her, she's a real, honest to God tiger of a woman. BACK TO BLACK's second single "Rehab" is a rant about how she doesn't want to go to rehab (a suggestion of her former management company). It's tough to listen to someone sing about not wanting help, when it's so obvious they have a drinking problem. I feel really bad for her and her family...but at the same time, it makes the song that much more badass. She's a drunk, but she's still in control enough to say "Fuck you, I'm having fun...I'm not going to rehab."

It's funny. The things we think are funny celebrities do, that make us sad/hurt when our loved ones do them. That by itself is a topic worthy of further discussion, I'll save it for a later posting.

My favorite song on the record is "Me & Mr. Jones" which has my all time favorite line "Nobody stands in between me and my man/It's me and Mr. Jones/What kind of fuckery is this?" The song goes on to use the word "fuckery" numerous times. It's hilarious because the song has such a classic soul sound, that you could put this on at an old folks home...and I bet 99.99% of the people there would just nod their heads and accept it as being from their era. And yet it has this modern vernacular that can (almost) hide beneath the surface (the first time I heard the song I was like "Did she just say what I think she just said?"). The raw language in such a strange setting is jarring in a way. Like seeing an old detective movie from the 1940's, where all the sudden the PI jumps onto the Internet to look for clues. It's a strange merger of something that is timeless with something that is very timely. I know how weird that sounds, but it works.

The tearful "Back to Black" and "Tears Dry on Their Own" are two 'girl-power' survival songs that sound a bit like...um..."I Will Survive" but less disco. It's a good thing, people.

Hell, ask yourself--do you like singers? A real powerful voice--not the Christina Agurhilarious WAY over the top vocal styling...but real actual singing? If you do, this is an album you should listen to.

Do you like classic girl groups, but yearn for something contemporary? Then this is the album for you.

Many of my males friends won't "get" this album, but if you're a real man...and can listen to female singers, then you should check out Amy Winehouse. She's about as close to a man as you can get (and have a woman). Think about it: Aggressive stage behavior (check), love for booze and smokes (check), Cocky attitude (check). All that's missing is the penis.

Seriously though, BACK TO BLACK is an excellent album. Unlike the Gallagher brothers (of Oasis fame), Winehouse has the talent to back up the swagger AND the massive press coverage. Despite what you might think (or hear/read) about her, you have to admit she's done a very brave thing with this record. She crafted a flawless piece of soul/r&b music that exists outside of what is currently popular among the Top 40 crowd. And instead of shying away from who and what she is, Winehouse stays true to herself and sings (rather candidly) about her own life. Do yourself a favor and check this bird out.

Jason gives BACK TO BLACK an "A-"