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'.

'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.

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?

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.

• 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