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	Best Price! - Back To Black   Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, is one of the finest soul albums, British or otherwise, to come out for years. Frank, her first album, was a sparse and stripped-down affair; Back to Black, meanwhile, is neither of these things. This time around, she's taken her inspiration from some of the classic 1960's girl groups like the Supremes and the Shangri-Las, a sound particularly suited to her textured vocal delivery, while adding a contemporary songwriting sensibility. With the help of producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, "Rehab" becomes a gospel-tinged stomp, while the title track (and album highlight) is a heartbreaking musical tribute to Phil Spector, with it's echoey bass drum, rhythmic piano, chimes, saxophone and close harmonies. Best of all, though, is the fact that Back to Black bucks the current trend in R&B by being unabashedly grown-up in both style and content. Winehouse's lyrics deal with relationships from a grown-up perspective, and are honest, direct and, often, complicated: on "You Know I'm No Good", she's unapologetic about her unfaithfulness. But she can also be witty, as on "Me & Mrs Jones" when she berates a boyfriend with "You made me miss the Slick Rick gig". Back to Black is a refreshingly mature soul album, the best of its kind for years. --Ted Kord	£4.97	Amazon.co.uk

Back To Black Reviews

Reviews from Amazon.co.uk

Amy's Ascent

On her debut album "Frank", Amy had already demonstrated her budding genius with tracks like "Stronger Than Me" and the stunning "Take The Box". On "Back To Black" she seizes her place among the immortals with a collection of songs that to my knowledge is unequalled in Pop history. The album is so chock-full of classics that it is hard to know where to start. This is authentic modern London jazzy soul that sounds as good as - if not better than - anything that has ever been produced by Motown or Philly - or anyone.
What distinguishes it from all else in the current music scene is the sheer quality of the songwriting. The only track that is not an instant classic is "Some Unholy War" - a good track, but not a solid gold hit like the other ten numbers here. The album kicks off with the brilliant triumvirate of "Rehab", "You Know I'm No Good" and "Me & Mr Jones". "Love Is A Losing Game" takes the quality through the roof, and is easily the best song of the present millennium; "Tears Dry On Their Own" and "Wake Up Alone" are contemporary pieces of perfection; "He Can Only Hold Her" nails an effortless and unique kind of cool, and contains a startling moment that evokes '80s casualties Musical Youth; and "Addicted" is simply breathtaking - it is almost a shock to find such a masterpiece almost carelessly tagged onto the end of a record. People may baulk at the notion of accepting "Back To Black" as the best Pop-slash-Soul album of all time, but I defy anyone to name one that is better.

Listen beyond the image

I had dismissed Amy Winehouse as a silly young woman with tattoos and a beehive hairstyle, always in the press for the wrong reasons. Then I heard the song Rehab, and my jaw dropped when I found out who was singing. At once I realised what the fuss was about. What an extraordinary voice. I would never have guessed that a girl from North London had a vocal talent that wouldn't have been out of place in 1960s Memphis.

On this album, Winehouse's voice soars over arrangements which are a throwback to Motown's glory days, and her lyrics are biting and witty. The whole package comes to a peak on the title track.

I suspect some will compare this to Alanis Morrissette's Jagged Little Pill. I beg to differ. That cacophonous whine is very tough to listen to. Back To Black is an amazingly melodious slice of modern melodrama.

This is a superb album. The reason why it is destined for classic status is because the music is not contemporary. I know it may be an odd comparison, but the theme song for the TV series Red Dwarf is timeless because it was in the style of music written 20 years before.

I just hope that Amy Winehouse can sort out her troubled life, so that she either finds tranquillity, or maybe produces more gems like this.

Like Galileo

..there are people who have views that go against accepted mainstream thinking and who are generally vilified for their beliefs. However, time usually bears out their views to be right. Like the world is spherical (ish) and not flat, so Amy Winehouse is merely an ersatz, end of the pier mock Dusty Springfield cabaret act and not the saviour of pop music. A classic case of the Emperor's new clothes, eventually all you people lauding her to the heavens will come to realise this and in a couple of years time will sheepishly admit you were going through a kitsch phase and will be carting of your copies of Winehouse CDs to the nearest branch of Sue Ryder.The only reason she stands out are (literally) because of her ludicrously coiffured barnet and because the mainstream is awash with lame identikit landfill indie bands. I predict her much deserved slide back into obscurity (remember Dido?)will soon beckon as everyone becomes heartily sick of all the media reported rehab visits, sparring with her loser husband, drunken brawls with paps and audience members and her sullen demeanour, aggressive attitude and lack of humour and humility. She is not a tortured genius and this album is little more than a 60s soul pastiche helmed by the most overrated producer in music history.

Credit where credit's due

Perhaps someone can actually provide an example of where she is supposed to sound like Billie Holliday ...? She doesn't sound like any other singer I can think of offhand and she certainly doesn't adopt any of the usual vocal mannerisms used by singers wanting to sound 'soulful' (e.g. excessive melisma, too much ad-libbing, shouting, etc.). She is a proper singer who relies on a naturally rich tone and actually interpreting the song as opposed to just 'vocalising'. I'd say she is in the tradition of singers like Van Morrison and John Martyn (without particularly sounding like them) - singers with a love of jazz/blues/R&B who found their own way of interpreting the music and creating their own vocal style. The use of Phil Spector/girl group/Motown - influenced arrangements provides an inspired setting for her voice and lyrics and is evocative rather than derivative (go back to what you might think are the 'originals' and the resemblance you imagined is purely superficial). Her lyrics are funny, touching, sometimes ballsy and streetwise, sometimes more 'literate' and generally refreshing and full of quirky details. As for the beehive - who cares? It suits her.

Glastonbury 2008

Just seen Amy perform live at Glastonbury and boy is there something special about this woman. Huuuggggeeeee magnestism and charisma with a touch of the Marilyn Monroe tragedy about her, but what a voice. I'm hooked ;-)