Album: Back To Black
Artist: Amy Winehouse
Born: Southgate, London
Released: October 2006
Genre: Soul
Amy Winehouse's death in summer 2011 was sad on so many levels, but the fact she never recorded another LP in the 4-5 years after the release of Back To Black is an undoubted shame. For lovers of soul music, this is as good as it gets in the modern era. The tabloid media frenzy that surrounded British musicians like Winehouse, Lily Allen and Pete Doherty presented their lives as a horror show, but behind the media personality was a musician of rare talent. After her first record, Frank (2003), Winehouse transformed from a versatile jazz singer inspired by Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan into a soul diva, with producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi instrumental in creating Back To Black's Phil Spector-like wall of sound. Also important to Back To Black's revivalist soul sound is the contribution of The Dap-Kings (most famous as Sharon Jones' backing band), who performed with Winehouse in the studio and on stage during this period. Members of the group appear on at least half of the record's 11 tracks, with songs like Rehab benefiting from a lively brass section. As well as the classic soul sound and spare production (many mainstream pop albums these days suffer from being over-produced), other key elements are the raw honesty of the songwriting and the power of Winehouse's voice ("No, no, no!"). Her singing reaches an even higher emotional pitch on the songs where the wall of sound is stripped away, notably on Tears Dry On Their Own.
This song, like most on the album, deals with the age-old theme of heartbreak. One way that Winehouse updates the classic soul formula is by adding some London linguistic flavour and attitude, "I should just be my own best friend / not fuck myself in the head with stupid men". Except for the low-key Just Friends, the run of songs from opener Rehab to Tears Dry On Their Own is enough to make for an outstanding record, but there also gems among the closing tracks, notably He Can Only Hold Her. Closing song Addicted gives an insight into Winehouse's drug-fuelled lifestyle, but she also uses it as a powerful way to end the record, pointing to how some vices (weed) are more reliable than others (men). Two of the record's highlights are the title track and Love Is A Losing Game, both co-written with Mark Ronson and performed with real vulnerability. Winehouse would collaborate with Ronson again just a few months after Back To Black's release, on a cover of Zutons song Valerie. In terms of commercial success, Valerie outperformed all the singles from Back In Black, reaching the UK No.2 spot in late 2007. As her last notable recording, it's the best possible way to remember her, a moment of pure pop perfection.
Amy Winehouse's death in summer 2011 was sad on so many levels, but the fact she never recorded another LP in the 4-5 years after the release of Back To Black is an undoubted shame. For lovers of soul music, this is as good as it gets in the modern era. The tabloid media frenzy that surrounded British musicians like Winehouse, Lily Allen and Pete Doherty presented their lives as a horror show, but behind the media personality was a musician of rare talent. After her first record, Frank (2003), Winehouse transformed from a versatile jazz singer inspired by Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan into a soul diva, with producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi instrumental in creating Back To Black's Phil Spector-like wall of sound. Also important to Back To Black's revivalist soul sound is the contribution of The Dap-Kings (most famous as Sharon Jones' backing band), who performed with Winehouse in the studio and on stage during this period. Members of the group appear on at least half of the record's 11 tracks, with songs like Rehab benefiting from a lively brass section. As well as the classic soul sound and spare production (many mainstream pop albums these days suffer from being over-produced), other key elements are the raw honesty of the songwriting and the power of Winehouse's voice ("No, no, no!"). Her singing reaches an even higher emotional pitch on the songs where the wall of sound is stripped away, notably on Tears Dry On Their Own.
This song, like most on the album, deals with the age-old theme of heartbreak. One way that Winehouse updates the classic soul formula is by adding some London linguistic flavour and attitude, "I should just be my own best friend / not fuck myself in the head with stupid men". Except for the low-key Just Friends, the run of songs from opener Rehab to Tears Dry On Their Own is enough to make for an outstanding record, but there also gems among the closing tracks, notably He Can Only Hold Her. Closing song Addicted gives an insight into Winehouse's drug-fuelled lifestyle, but she also uses it as a powerful way to end the record, pointing to how some vices (weed) are more reliable than others (men). Two of the record's highlights are the title track and Love Is A Losing Game, both co-written with Mark Ronson and performed with real vulnerability. Winehouse would collaborate with Ronson again just a few months after Back To Black's release, on a cover of Zutons song Valerie. In terms of commercial success, Valerie outperformed all the singles from Back In Black, reaching the UK No.2 spot in late 2007. As her last notable recording, it's the best possible way to remember her, a moment of pure pop perfection.
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