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Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0602517130418 Label: Island Manufacturer: Island Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Island Release Date: October 30, 2006 Running Time: 35 minutes Studio: Island Sales Rank: 105
Amazon.co.uk Review: 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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - back to black is a classic amy winehouse is a legend!!
amy winehouse is a legend her voice is amazing and uniqiue she sound like a old 60s singer with a modern twist to it her voice and the music clever sounds old but with a slight modern feel to it genius mark ronson is cool he produced the album well done mark he was on the sunday night project he seems nice and cool well if you havent got this album buy it!! if youre like me and love 60s music buy it if you listened to it and never knew who she was or anything about her private life you would think its ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
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