SHUT UP AND BUY IT! That's right, the second album by formerly jazz-inflected and now 50's-60's girl group sounding Amy Winehouse is a revelation. "BACK TO BLACK" is a rarity lately: an album that's actually FUN TO LISTEN TO. Sure, Amy Winehouse has already been nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize and won other awards such as the British Best Female Artist. However, this platter is gonna spin quite a lot with me for the foreseeable future so (natch) that's probably her highest honour YET!!!! 
(Hark, dost thou detecteth an only child blogging?!?) Tee hee hee.
But seriously, ladies and germs, from the wonderfully bitter, heart-broken title track (which sounds like a lost Supremes recording) to the deliberately Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell-sounding "Tears Dry on Their Own" to the 50's girl group sound of "Me & Mr. Jones" or the "My Boyfriend's Back"-like "Rehab"(which actually uses fifties-style tubular bells), Amy Winehouse manages to capture the spirit and sound of old soul & R&B singles without once ripping them off.
Then there's the naughty femme fatale of "You Know I'm No Good". Of course, I'm sure SOME credit must be given her returning producer Salaam Remi and the addition of Robbie Williams' producer Mark Ronson (fer goshsakes?!?!) who deftly craft each song with it's own individual, different sound in which Amy gets to shine. Her very name is appropriate too; since she has what can only be described as a "wine-dark" voice -- sorta a Merlot, I guess. So rush out and buy the damn thing, will ya, and drink up! Your ears are thirsty!
SHUT UP AND BUY IT! That's right, the second album by formerly jazz-inflected and now 50's-60's girl group sounding Amy Winehouse is a revelation. "BACK TO BLACK" is a rarity lately: an album that's actually FUN TO LISTEN TO. Sure, Amy Winehouse has already been nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize and won other awards such as the British Best Female Artist. However, this platter is gonna spin quite a lot with me for the foreseeable future so (natch) that's probably her highest honour YET!!!! 
(Hark, dost thou detecteth an only child blogging?!?) Tee hee hee.
But seriously, ladies and germs, from the wonderfully bitter, heart-broken title track (which sounds like a lost Supremes recording) to the deliberately Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell-sounding "Tears Dry on Their Own" to the 50's girl group sound of "Me & Mr. Jones" or the "My Boyfriend's Back"-like "Rehab"(which actually uses fifties-style tubular bells), Amy Winehouse manages to capture the spirit and sound of old soul & R&B singles without once ripping them off.
Then there's the naughty femme fatale of "You Know I'm No Good". Of course, I'm sure SOME credit must be given her returning producer Salaam Remi and the addition of Robbie Williams' producer Mark Ronson (fer goshsakes?!?!) who deftly craft each song with it's own individual, different sound in which Amy gets to shine. Her very name is appropriate too; since she has what can only be described as a "wine-dark" voice -- sorta a Merlot, I guess. So rush out and buy the damn thing, will ya, and drink up! Your ears are thirsty!
4 comments:
I agree wholeheartedly. Midnighter gave me the cd on Tuesday and it hasn't left my player since.
Coming from the person who turned me on to Rodrigo y Gabriela! Ain't we got good taste?!?
He won't admit to this, BUT I turned Midnighter on to Amy!
I love her, sort of like Ronnie Spector meets Nina Simone.
I hereby proclaim "Rehab" as the song of the year!
Ooo, I completely believe it. That Midnighter only listens to J-Lo on his ipod anyway so I kinda figured the only culture he would pick up would be from you!
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