Back To Black (Amy Winehouse)

amy winehouse has been in the news lately, for (ironically) going to rehab and also cancelling her U.S. tour. and very recently, for an incident involving her husband.

she's a stormy, fickle character who's prone to extremes. her music on this album also seems to capture that. you can hear and feel that she has troubles, and this petite little english 20-something sings with an amazing amount of soul.

the album starts out strong with "rehab." by now, everyone knows this song. and by now, most people know she shouldn't be saying "no, no, no." the following two songs, "you know i'm no good" and "me & mr. jones" are all stellar. the songs convey a sense of regret and jelousy.

"just friends" does not impress me as much. the vocals do not seem to match the music.

the title song "back to black" is good. the image of being a man's second woman, being painfully aware of it, and surviving is compelling.

"love is a losing game" is my least favorite song of the album. on it, winehouse tries to sing softly, which is something she should never do. her voice is powerful, and filled with soul, however, it is lacking in softness. she should sing nothing quieter than forte. it's strange, but her trying to be quiet sounds more forced than many artists who try to be louder than they really are.

thankfully, the album bounces back quickly with "tears dry on their own." the tempo, rhythm, melody and chorus all work together nicely. it truly conveys the feeling of someone walking away. one can easily imagine someone storming from a flat and out into an endless city.

"wake up alone" is alright. i don't really have much to say on this one. i can take it or leave it. it doesn't stand out from any of the other songs.

"some unholy war" i just don't like. the vocal tricks are nice and all, the background vocals are good too, but it's just shrug-worthy.

"he can only hold her" has the feeling of a final song. it tops the album off nicely.

then there's a remix of "you know i'm no good." this is good too.

overall, this is a very good album that has served to update soul in an interesting way and has brought some good music to the mainstream. amy winehouse's tabloid antics are somewhat tiresome, but for the most part her album is not. it is easy to find yourself listening to this album over an over, which is always a sign of good work.

rating: 7.6/10

oh, i almost forgot. i saw amy winehouse in concert last month at lollapalooza. her are couple photos (i have others on flickr):