Amy Winehouse-Back To Black

Like so many others, I first heard Amy Winehouse when she released her hit single, "Rehab", and was immediately drawn to the husky tones that underlined the song.
With her talent, it is not hard to see why she won the British Female solo Artist Award, or why her latest album Back To Black has won so many awards.

Her second album, it was released 4 years after her first album Frank established Winehouse as an exciting new artist. Back to Black is set to establish this more firmly.

Influenced by girl-groups from the fifties and sixties, it is strongly evident on her latest artistic effort, and she wanted to get back to basics. And she’s done that superbly, with an album that should be in every music connoisseurs collection.

Record Label: Republic
Year: 2007
Track listing:
01. rehab
02. you know I’m no good
03. me and Mr Jones
04. just friends
05. back to black
06. love is a losing game
07. tears dry on their own
08. wake up alone
09. some unholy war
10. he can only hold her
11. addicted

This is Amy Winehouse’s second album, and the soul singer gives it her all. Although her first album came out in 2003, many people will be hearing her for the first time around.
And will love her as much as I do.
The funky reggae sounds from rehab, is addictive, but even more addictive is this girl’s strong, big voice and her ability to change her style of music in each song, but keep belting them out.
It’s not easy to see why this girl won the Brit awards for best solo album recently. The track me and Mr Jones, seems to take back a step in time to the sixties, and sounds like an all-girl band’s hit song, such as the likes of the Supremes. Very catchy and her vocal range, shows the influence of the likes of Diana Ross on that song, as well as just friends.
The title track, back to black, is another that sounds like a Supremes song musically, and as soon as I heard it, I expected Diana Ross to start singing, “baby, baby…” as it is so reminiscent of baby love. Actually probably more than half the album, bares itself as a tribute to artists from the sixties, who have influenced Winehouse, and could easily be considered to a tribute to the talents of Phil Spector’s style of music that helped many bands from that period become famous.

The whole album is a highlight, with a music lover’s delight in not just the vocals but the chimes, sax, bass drums, piano and harmonies. The talented singer also had a hand in writing her songs, and the style of her writing is fresh, and refreshingly honest.
Definitely a fine introduction to jazz for those who have not had the pleasure before, and Winehouse shows that she can hold her own against the likes of Joss Stone.

Outstanding songs: rehab, back to black, me and Mr. Jones I can’t wait to hear more from this refreshing new artist, who blows Norah Jones out of the water, and might even look at picking up her first album.

I give her 4/5

You can buy Back To Black Here
Amy Winehouse official site
Amy Winehouse on myspace