Back To Black - Amy Winehouse > Reviews > Back to Black is a dark delight

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Stunning vocals and lyrics
Disadvantages:	Little too much angst (not much though)

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I was extremely pleased to see 'Back to black' as the product of the week for review. Anyone who has read my review of Amy's first album, 'Frank' will already know what I think of her. She is the most unique vocal talent to come out of the UK since, well, Marianne Faithful, and this album won no less than 5 grammy's, and recieved an outstanding commentary from Herbie Hancock who is, without a doubt a jazz legend. After recieving the award for best album Amy said:

"I am so proud of this album" "I put my heart and soul into it and it's wicked to be recognized in this way. I feel truly honored to be mentioned in the same breath as many of the artists present tonight and to win is even more amazing!"

She also won Grammy's for: Best new artist, Song of the year, Pop vocal album and Female pop vocal performance.

So lets look at each song:
Rehab:
What an opener and how poignant and prophetic, very much a jazz/soul crossover with one of the most catchy chorus lines of the last few years. I love the way she sings it on the album, and then live plays with it, classic track which will be played years from now.

You know I'm no good:
Reall slinky, jazzy number, if you close your eyes and listen to it, you are transported to a smokey jazz club with Amy walking across a stage singing into everyones eyes...a 'femme fatale' of a song and I would willingly let her destroy me, lol.

Me and Mr Jones:
Clever title for a start and not the celebratory style of Billy Paul, oh no....angst, angst, angst, and it just suits.

Just friends:
Bit 'doo run, run' for me, though an interesting vocal run up and down the scale, not the strongest, and a quite annoying back beat which i'm not sure if it's trombone, trumpet or synth.

Back to black:
The title track, great video, fantastic 'hook' that is hypnotic and compulsive listening........the vocals are bordering on nasal yet somehow compelling, I love this track, so dark and meaty, and the lyrics, oh, my, god, fantastic:
He left no time to regret
Kept his dick wet
With his same old safe bet
Me and my head high
And my tears dry
Get on without my guy
You went back to what you knew

Love is a losing game:
Good old angsty Amy, a dark love song, with tortured lyrics which somehow remind me of Elvis Costello and Marc Almond, is it a jazz song, a 'torch' song, dunno, don't care, it is beautiful and sad, and goergeous and mad, all in one.

Tears dry on their own:
Jazz with a dollop of Mowtown is the best way to describe this track, poor old Amy, she just oozes angst and yet strength at the same time. Again, the lyrics are superb, and so perceptive:
I don't understand
Why do I stress a man?
When there's so many better things at hand
We could've never had it all
We had to hit a wall
So this is inevitable withdrawal
Even if I stop wanting you
And perspective pushes through
I'll be some next man's other woman soon
I shouldn't play myself again
I Should just be my own best friend.
Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men

Wake up alone:
Oh no, more angst, could have done with a slight break at this point, great song, just a bit too much after the last two.

Some unholy war:
Not sure about this, more of a rant than a song, very tortured (again), in my view, the weakest track of the album, not for me this one, the music is a bit overpowering of her vovcal too, which is unusual.

He can hold her:
Pure 70's soul, could have come from any number of black female vocalists, in fact if you heard this and had never heard of Amy (yeah, right) you would swear it was from 70's America. Quite a cool song with lots of backing vocals that work well, not unpleasant, but a little out of synch with the rest of the album in my opinion.

Addicted:
Another soul crossover, much better, has a funky backbeat too, really funny lyrics as well if you listen hard enough, I won't spoil it for you.

Overall:
So she won five Grammy's, she smokes crack, she is undoubtedly on some self destruct kick, and, and, she is absolutely brilliant, the album, apart from maybe two tracks is excellent, and has definitely beats the dreaded second album curse, can't wait fro the next, especially if she continues to collaborate with Mark Ronson, another genius in my opinion.

Her songwriting is strong, her voice even stronger, her ability to look son vulnerable, as on the album artwork, sing such angst yet retain such strength of character is amazing, I cannot decide between this album and the first, and as I have both I don't have to. This is a mature album from someone that really does have talent and seems to be able to court the media and music machines whilst at the same time showing real disdain for them. If she lives, she will become a legend, of that I am sure.

The big test for me is will I be putting any of these songs on my playlists in years to come?, oh yes, they are classics some of them.