Back to Black

more info

Hailed by Newsweek Magazine as a cross between Billie Holiday and Lauryn Hill, British soul singer Amy Winehouse's U.S. debut, Back To Black hits the US amid a flurry of accolades, radio and TV buzz unprecedented in recent years for a young siren. Her brassy mix of emotive vocals tinged with 60's girl-group stylings, sly funk, and anguished jazz, sparked the New York Daily News to crown Back To Black a "marvelous debut that would do Etta James proud" while New Yorker Magazine called her "a fierce English performer whose voice combines the smoky depths of a jazz chanteuse with the heated passion of a soul singer," and Spin Magazine affirming "there's never been A British star quite like her." Back To Black smolders with a bristling fusion of old school doo-wop/soul inflected uprisings, (the charismatic singer/songwriter wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album) brewing instant classics such as the Shirley Ellis influenced "Rehab," the Supremes tinged title song "Back To Black," the aching "Wake Up Alone," and the album's closer, "Addicted."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

Save This Not For Me

Reviews

Likes26,876

Reviews269

Your Review
Top Reviews
- - Hot!
    
    Natalia Angela liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    i love this song..everyday i always listening REHAB..how bout you ? come,join withe me :D
    
    11 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    view all 8 replies
    
    Satrijadi Bee Wow. Guru!
    
    11 months
    
    Vote(0)
    
    Vote0
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    erizasantoso Voted
    
    11 months
    
    Vote(0)
    
    Vote0
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    erizasantoso Hindari narkoba *pesansponsor
    
    11 months
    
    Vote(0)
    
    Vote0
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Tracey Meisky liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    Working my way through Back To Black. Even better than it's predecessor, 'Frank' this was recorded when she was still practically an unknown in the States, still chubby, sober and sane.
    
    2 years
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Tracey Now that she gone, I have to comment that this is the album that introduced Amy to most of the USA and led largely in part to her downfall and untimely death.
    
    11 months
    
    Vote(0)
    
    Vote0
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    BubtheScholar liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    Highly listenable and surprising album. Her music and her voice penetrate.
    
    2 years
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    chellbaby liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    this girl could really sing, what a powerful and soulful voice
    
    10 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Etus Pattiwael liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    Pain is just weakness leaving the body
    
    3 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Kelly favorited and reviewed Back to Black
    
    Love this song,Love this voice.......Amazing song!!
    
    5 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Claudia Burcke Voted!
    
    8 months
    
    Vote(0)
    
    Vote0
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Safia liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    A true beauty with unlimited potential. R.I.P.
    
    11 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Tiffany Spark liked and reviewed Back to Black
    
    RIP Amy!! We will miss you!! Love you!
    
    11 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Hannah Sadler Thorne reviewed Back to Black
    
    RIP Amy
    
    11 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
  - Hot!
    
    Laurie Ann Cook favorited and reviewed Back to Black
    
    My daughter got her CD in the mail from ?,it was free and so she popped it in her CD player and it never left.To say her music was haunting is not enough,Rehab,was a song my daughter loved to laugh... more
    
    My daughter got her CD in the mail from ?,it was free and so she popped it in her CD player and it never left.To say her music was haunting is not enough,Rehab,was a song my daughter loved to laugh at.Considering she was on her way to a huge addiction,I can see why she thought it was funny.But,for any of us grown ups who have battled with addiction,the song was almost a footnote into our own hell.I had done Rehab,numerous times,and at age 27 getting sober was the last thing on my mind.I was 27,young.I thought I had enough time ro still party and then flick a switch and become a responsible adult.Not until I lost the love of my life at the age of 45,I at 40,did I finally wake up and reliaze that I had shot my whole life up my arm,I had nothing.No home,no car....It still took me 2 more years to figure out how to kick.Amy will never "get tired of being tired"her body had finally had enough.RIP,Amy.
    
    11 months
    
    Vote
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Vote on this interaction!
    
    Laurie Ann Cook It is always sad when a young person dies,but when one dies with so much promise,right in front of our eyes,the sense of loss is overwhelming.Amy was her own worst enemy.I'm sure if she could have pulled herself out of her nosedive she would have.It has nothing to do with not wanting to or being weak.Unless you have battled addiction you have no clue to the destructive hold it has on you.And sadder still is we all watched in helpless horror, her descent into the pit.Your body can only take so much abuse,and then it says ENOUGH,I am tired and I am shutting down,sadly,I think this is what happened to Amy Winehouse.Sadder still is a week or so after this people will go back to using the very drugs that destroyed this woman.It is a never ending circle.
    
    11 months
    
    Vote(0)
    
    Vote0
    
    Agree
    
    Cool
    
    Funny
    
    Reply
    
    Press enter when you are done typing.
More Reviews

Editing Back to Black

You can edit this page because you have earned special privileges on Glue.
Only make changes if you are certain that they are correct.

Cancel

Suggestions

Description

Hailed by Newsweek Magazine as a cross between Billie Holiday and Lauryn Hill, British soul singer Amy Winehouse's U.S. debut, Back To Black hits the US amid a flurry of accolades, radio and TV buzz unprecedented in recent years for a young siren. Her brassy mix of emotive vocals tinged with 60's girl-group stylings, sly funk, and anguished jazz, sparked the New York Daily News to crown Back To Black a "marvelous debut that would do Etta James proud" while New Yorker Magazine called her "a fierce English performer whose voice combines the smoky depths of a jazz chanteuse with the heated passion of a soul singer," and Spin Magazine affirming "there's never been A British star quite like her." Back To Black smolders with a bristling fusion of old school doo-wop/soul inflected uprisings, (the charismatic singer/songwriter wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album) brewing instant classics such as the Shirley Ellis influenced "Rehab," the Supremes tinged title song "Back To Black," the aching "Wake Up Alone," and the album's closer, "Addicted."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

Enter a descriptionChecking description...OkInvalid description

Source (optional)

Important: You can edit this page because you have earned special privileges on Glue.
Only make changes if you are certain that they are correct.

Your description has been saved!

GetGlue

Back to Black

By Amy Winehouse, 2007

Reviews

Your Review

Editing Back to Black

Thank You!

Tell everyone you just edited this album.

GetGlue

Back to Black

By Amy Winehouse, 2007

Reviews

Your Review

Top Reviews

Editing Back to Black

Thank You!

Tell everyone you just edited this album.

Send to: