Back to Black
Amy Winehouse
(2006) Universal Republic
Amy Winehouse deserves 5 guitars simply for the creativity she uses in on her U.S. debut, Back to Black. The music itself is part jazz, part Motown, part 60s girl band, but Winehouse’s strong, changeable voice voice is all Billie Holiday, pure depth and pure soul. Not bad for a 23 year-old. She’s a mature, even witty songwriter, as well, and she wrote or co-wrote every track on the CD. Her lyrics are about relationships, and one of the strongest tracks on the CD, the song that has been on the radio here in the U.S., is “Rehab” which recounts her resistance to rehab. The song has tongue-in-cheek tendencies because while she’s dealing with such a serious topic such as alcohol treatment, the 60s rhythm of the song seems to contradict the lyrics. Imagine Ronnie Specter singing a song about alcohol rehabilitation with a 60s girl group whose songs were sweet and uncomplicated and you get the idea. “Me and Mr. Jones” again evokes images of Billie Holiday with the jazz rhythms and her soulful voice, and again the grown-up lyrics contradict the sound of the music, which makes the song something very unique and very wonderful. The title song, “Back to Black,” has dark undertones in its lyrics about a broken relationship, again has that light 60s sound, but Winehouse’s voice here takes on a more psychedellic, later 60s sound a la Grace Slick. The most consistent sound on the CD is that 60s girl group sound.
This CD is worth listening to just to hear how Winehouse’s voice sounds from track to track, because in each song it sounds a little different. She is willing to share herself in her songs, faults and all, and her lyrics are self-confessions that make us cringe at their honesty and nod because if we’re being honest we recognize ourselves in them. Forget the hype around this girl. Forget the crazy beehive hairdo and the elaborate make-up. She is a unique, major talent with both the voice and the songwriting skills to make her the real deal.