AMY WINEHOUSE
Back to Black
Universal/Island
· This hard-livin’, hard-lovin’ diva delivers a heart-felt homage to the soul sounds of the ’60s.
After attracting ample attention for her mélange of hip hop/jazz/R&B, confessional lyrics and powerful pipes on 2003’s Frank, Amy Winehouse returns from the U.K. three years later with a spot-on set of soul stompers that sound as if they could have been culled from the back catalogues of Scepter/Wand, Brunswick and Motown. Her bittersweet and darkly witty lyrics are out in full force, as is the formidable voice often compared to greats such as Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill.
On Back to Black she’s buoyed by production immaculately recreating golden-era soul music, courtesy Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi (see The Fugees’s The Score). Like a sophisticated, ultra-polished Dap-Kings with strings (Neal Sugarman plays tenor throughout), Brill-building melodies and girl-group harmonies abound while Winehouse digs deep and unleashes her voice for full emotional impact. With so many highly hummable tracks and lyrics that are by turn heartbreaking, hopeful and humorous, this is a must-have for both aficionados of soul and those who love a damn good, catchy pop song.
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