Back To Black - Amy Winehouse > Reviews > DO NOT ASK YOUR DEALER FOR WHATEVER AMY'S HAVING

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	One hit and lots of B-sides
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Poor

Advantages:	A new staple of British music
Disadvantages:	Quite repetitive and can wear on you

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

===AN ILL-FATED STAR. WOW - DEJA VU ANYONE?===

Whilst you may typically associate British artists that slowly progress their way through the industry from their small-capacity village halls as those indy acts that have became so popular over the years, the complete opposite of those artists that we have seen developed through reality television to go on and have chart success (running against the clock) with below-par pop records, Amy Winehouse is really neither of these two catagories. In fact, Amy Winehouse is an artist that has created a whole new groove especially for herself and her husband that we have seen have a very volitile relationship from photographs of the pair bloodied and bruised. Essentially an R&B act, Winehouse can find herself on almost any channel as her music gains acknowledgement for its soul and jazz inspired feel, which had never been as evident as with her second studio release, 'Back to Black'.

A rock and roll background means that you do get the joy of seeing her wander around with Pete Doherty, who has been well documented as an infulence that gave Kate Moss a cocaine addiction - not that a model that enjoys the odd sniffle of coke is a surprise. Winehouse has herself received reports of her alledged drug addictions, and became one of the most talked about female solo artists for just this reason in 2007. Some may consider these reports an edge to Winehouse's persona, whilst I am sure others must take to them in a more negative light. On the other hand, the British tabloids love the idea of having their own Britney Spears to drive to beyond reason, and she has quickly became one of those artists that you wish was not wasting her talent with her own personal destruction - yet appear to receive some sort of joy from reading the tabloid stories.

'Frank' was the debut studio release by Winehouse in 2003, with the title being a reference to one of her main musical infulences, Frank Sinatra. The album peaked at #13 in the UK charts months after its original release, and following the exposure she received for her second album, 'Frank' could also ride the tidal wave of success as new fans began to study what they had missed the first time around. 'Frank' peaked at #61 on the US Billboard, although was not released in the US until after Winehouse had began to become one of the few British artists with any appeal across the pond - this was early 2007. On the other hand, the yanks accepted 'Back to Black' in with open arms as it reached #2 on the Billboard, and topped the UK albums chart on two separate occassions - once succeeding British favourites, Take That, and on the other occassion succeeding international success, Mika. A more obviously beautiful Rihanna was responsible for dethroning Winehouse in Ireland, whilst a deluxe edition of the album would give 'Back to Black' a third run at the top in the UK.

An esimated eight million units of 'Back to Black' have been shifted worldwide.

"IT'S PRECISELY WINEHOUSE'S LYRICS -- SMARTASS, ACHING, FLIRTY, AND OFTEN STRAIGHT-UP NASTY -- THAT RAISES THIS EXPERTLY CRAFTED SET INTO THE REALM OF TRUE, OF-THE-MINUTE ORIGINALITY" - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Twenty-four year-old London born Winehouse's album has undoubtedly became one of the most proud moments in recent British history, which is a shame when you consider our faith goes into someone who on occassions has found herself slurring her words out on stage, and if you had ran up to her to put a paperbag over her head she probably wouldn't have stopped you. Or maybe just lunged at you viciously in her intoxicated state, about ten minutes after you had originally attacked her. Not that I am planning on attacking any celebrities in the near future might I add. What I do find hard to comprehend though is how people differentiate the repetitive nature of saxophones and deeper vocals, that then get a bit deeper, into an album with a fantastic range of tracks. If the second best selling UK album of the year by Leona Lewis gets panned for sounding almost identical on every track, why should we set a different standard for the first British artist to win five Grammys?

You cannot deny the catchiness of the first track on the album however, which was what caught the attention of the gun-wieling R&B industry of the States, as artists such as billionaire Jay-Z were lining up to remix and were trying to catch the attention of Winehouse by quoting the infamous 'Rehab' around a packed airport. I feel the album does have its one five-star song that all good albums need, and I am not surprised that a lot of people listened to a preview of the album and after the first sixty seconds thought Winehouse was great. Considering album sales are where the big money is, 'Rehab' only peaked at #7 in the UK charts and #9 on the US Billboard 100, topping the Norway and Hungarian charts.

"WE ONLY SAID GOODBYE WITH WORDS, I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES, YOU GO BACK TO HER, AND I GO BACK TO..." - AMY WINEHOUSE

Whilst you would not expect Winehouse to milk a fairly short and sweet album the way she did, for a second track her management team strumbled drunkenly into 'You Know I'm No Good' in the UK. The single received the type of lukewarm respection I would expect, at #18 in the UK charts, and after a later release in the US it peaked at #77. 'Back to Black' would be a third release, and every bit as good as the down-tempo 'Rehab', holding its very own funeral for a doomed love affair. 'Back to Black' as a single only peaked at #25 in the UK, however has became a chart topper in Israel. Don't ask me why Israel loves it so much.

'Tears Dry On Their Own' is one of the most popular tracks from the album, and you are bound to have heard someone singing along to it in your moving life, especially around the time it peaked at #16 in the UK charts. As a second single release in the US it only managed to enter the specialist Billboard for adult R&B at #40. 'Love is a Losing Game' was selected to be the fifth and final single release from the album, however Winehouse missed a £70,000 video shoot due to personal issues and the track went on to have lowly success peaking at #46 in the UK charts. Perhaps this was also somewhat down to people realising that there wasn't as much of a range coming out of this ten-track album as they expected. I have to admit, that on second listen this album has offered up a few things I couldn't have noticed first time around, but I have never doubted Amy Winehouse's vocal ability. Even my grandad can notice that. Nor have I doubted the idea of a jazz infulence to her music. A lot of production on the album was done by Mark Ronson, and one of Winehouse's biggest successes has been as a featured artist on the track, 'Valerie'. Do not buy this album expecting that track to be on this album, as it's not - it's on Ronson's. I do eagerly await to see what Winehouse does with a third album, if she makes it to a third album, but I cannot help but feel that this album is designed to try and make me cry myself to sleep.

• 01, Rehab (3.31), "They're trying to make me go to rehab"
  SOUNDS (BEAT, PRODUCTION, ETC.) - GREAT
  SINGS (VOCALS, LYRICS, ETC.) - GREAT
  SINGALONG (YES/NO) - YES, YES, YES
  STAR RATING (OUT OF 5) - FIVE
• 02, You Know I'm No Good (4.17), "I cheated myself like I knew I would"
  SOUNDS - DIFFERENT YET THE SAME
  SINGS - GRATES
  SINGALONG - NO
  STARS - THREE
• 03, Me and Mr Jones (2.33), "What kind of f*ckery is this?"
  SOUNDS - BORING
  SINGS - OK
  SINGALONG - VERY, VERY LITTLE
  STARS - ONE
• 04, Just Friends (3.13), "When will we get, the time to be"
  SOUNDS - OK
  SINGS - WELL
  SINGALONG - NOPE
  STARS - THREE
• 05, Back to Black (4.03), "He left no time to regret, kept his dick wet"
  SOUNDS - GOOD
  SINGS - GREAT
  SINGALONG - YES
  STARS - FIVE
• 06, Love is a Losing Game (2.35), "More than I could stand, love is a losing hand"
  SOUNDS - GOOD
  SINGS - GREAT
  SINGALONG - POSSIBLE
  STARS - FOUR
• 07, Tears Dry On Their Own (3.06), "He takes the day but I'm grown"
  SOUNDS - BRILLIANT
  SINGS - GOOD
  SINGALONG - YES
  STARS - FIVE
• 08, Wake Up Alone (3.42), "Got so sick of crying"
  SOUNDS - SLIGHTLY DULL
  SINGS - GOOD
  SINGALONG - NO
  STARS - FOUR
• 09, Some Unholy War (2.22), "He can't lose with me in tow"
  SOUNDS - DULL
  SINGS - OK
  SINGALONG - NO
  STARS - TWO
• 10, He Can Only Hold Her (2.46), "Cause what's inside never dies"
  SOUNDS - FREE SPIRITED
  SINGS - BRILLIANTLY
  SINGALONG - YOU CAN TRY
  STARS - THREE