Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4.5/5 Released: March 13, 2007 Reviewer: Danielle Suchet |
British singer/songwriter/party girl Amy Winehouse is one of the only singers alive who can write a gospel style song about rehab, and make it work. Winehouse is back with her much anticipated second album, Back to Black, where she all but obliterates the dreaded sophomore curse. The Whino (affectionately dubbed so by gossip hound and rabid fan, Perez Hilton) pokes fun at her party girl image and introspectively looks at break-ups in an album influenced by fifties and sixties girl groups, and of course, the Supremes.
While her debut Frank was sparse and stripped down Back to Black is lush, thought provoking and intricate. Filled with Motown sounds and Aretha style vocals, Winehouse has created a contemporary sound and style all her own. Her voice, a mix between Janis Joplin and Billie Holliday, is filled with more depth and soul than all of the tween pop tarts put together.
Tracks like ‘Tears Dry on Their Own,’ samples old sixties pop while still remaining fresh, modern and smartly written. Her lyrical strength and unpretentiously innovative style is what ultimately set her apart from the new wave of British female singer/songwriters that have been inundating the music landscape lately. At only 23, Winehouse has created an album that shows maturity beyond her years, and is sure to claim her a place among some of the greats she is influenced by.
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