| Product: |
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse |
| Date: |
25.03.08 (157 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great album easy to listen and sing along.
Disadvantages: A couple of lesser tracks.
I was introduced to Amy Winehouse in late 2003 when my sister bought me a CD from her. I had never really heard of her until then but listened to it anyway. Being my sister, she knew what I would like, right. Well, yes she was! I instantly loved the "Frank" album. It was a jazzy experience reminiscent of the late 50's early 60's. Little did I know that this relatively unknown album would win a Mercury prize and an IVOR (British academy of composers and song writers) for the song "stronger than me".
This all was before she was famous (well infamous nowadays), and it paved the way for her recent rise to fame.
Amy was born in Southgate in a jewish family in1983. She really began her music at the age of 13 with a rap group with her best friend at the time. Her on off boyfriend, Tyler James sent a demo to a record company and her being snapped up by Island/Universal. She released her album "Frank" in October 2003 (of which she co-wrote all the songs except for 2 covers) in 2003. Amy was not totally happy with the album but it got her a lot of attention.
A few years later, she met and collaborated with Mark Ronson (also with Lilly Allen and Best male solo artist at this year's Brit awards) to produce her next album "BACK TO BLACK" (released October 2006).
I didn't actually buy this album outright as I was still happy with the last album and I have to admit that since having a little one, CDs are no longer a priority. I bought the album in March 2007 as I liked the 2nd single from the album which was released in January of that year " You know I am no good" and previously liked the song "Rehab" released with the album. I have to say that I instantly liked the album and it is played on a regular basis. It is also a bonus that my husband also likes it as it is quite hard to find a musical common ground and it is often a compromise for one of us.
By the time I bought the album, it already had won acclaim in the business with the single Rehab winning an IVOR for best contemporary song and the album going platinum a few times over.
The album itself has a mixture of slow and faster paced songs and you can really feel the influence of the 50's/60's the tempos are reminiscent of jazz, soul and some reggae. It has 11 tracks in total (on the UK version) and Amy has co-written some of the tracks as well as providing the guitar on others.
THE TRACKS:
1.REHAB: 3.35
This is probably the most famous of her singles released and has provided many of the puns on the headline grabbing tabloids. It has a jazzy feel and has a good tempo. The lyrics explain that she has been asked to go to rehab by her record company and father but refused as she can go through it alone. This song is easily remembered and even my 2 year old son will chorus "no, no, no" at the appropriate time.
2.YOU KNOW THAT I AM NO GOOD: 4.17
This is the second single from this album released in Jan 2007. It has an R&B feel to it and was actually remixed with "Ghostface Killah" although this is not on this album (but is on the American version). It is self-explanatory and tells of infidelity in a relationship where she is the culprit. The beat is still jazzy and reminds me of a smoke filled room in an American jazz bar where she would be on stage singing.
3.ME & MR JONES: 2.33
This has under tones of "Me and Mrs Jones" and has a lot of background singing and is very jazzy (another one which reminds me of a jazz bar). This is also about a flawed relationship with infidelity but which still carried on. One of the shortest tracks on the album.
4.JUST FRIENDS: 3.13
This is one of the tracks less listened to on the album by us although it a good song in its own right, it fades into the background compared to the others. It tells of a story of love, lust and drinking which interferes with a friendship which turns to more when drink is involved.
5.BACK TO BLACK: 4.01
This is one that has been written with Amy and Mark Ronson and you can feel his soul influence on the track. It was released as a single in April 2007 and is still being played on many radio stations to this day. It is also the album title(obviously). This song is about a love lost and the feeling of being used and left to return to someone else. It is a great soulful track with an undertone of jazz and although it could be a terribly depressing track, it is lifted by the tempo.
6.LOVE IS A LOSING GAME: 2.35
This is the second shortest track on the album and the slowest in tempo. It has acoustic tone (although it isn't) and is quite a depressing song but is also mellow. It is self-explanatory and tells of love being a losing hand (comparing love to gambling) and has a jazz background. (Released Dec 2007)
7.TEARS DRY ON THEIR OWN: 3.06
This is a slow paced song and although the lyrics are still about love which shouldn't be, it is quite uplifting. I always thought that I recognised the song but couldn't put my finger on it until a friend of mine said that the background track was Marvin Gaye "Ain't no mountain high enough". I love this track for its soulfulness and easy going pace. (Released in Aug 2007-also co-written by Amy)
8. WAKE UP ALONE: 3.42
Another soulful track about loss of love and having to keep going but it catches up with you when alone. This also has a backing track from the Chicago song "Colour my world". The lyrics are deep and meaningful and her voice adds to the sorrow felt in this track. She also co-wrote this track.
9.SOME UNHOLY WAR: 2.22
This track focuses on being behind your love and standing by them through thick and thin. This is an appropriate track for her at the moment in her personal life but this track is not one that I listen to over and over again. It also fades in the background when the album is being played.
10.HE CAN ONLY HOLD HER: 2.46
This track has some reggae undertones and also jazz roots. It is slightly uplifting although, yet again, the lyrics describe the love, which is not reciprocated but the relationship goes on. It is a nice song which is easy to listen to.
11.ADDICTED: 2.45
This is a very upbeat song with drums and jazz feel. It goes on about how "Weed" is more important than someone else's boyfriend who will not be allowed in unless they bring their own. It implies that it is more important than men as more reliable so will not share. Considering the subject matter, it is an easy to listen upbeat song which brings a smile to my face.
This album is great and I really enjoy most of the songs on it. It has a few swear words on it and mention of drugs but it is not constant.
This album has been in and out of the chart all through 2007 and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide. It has also won an array of awards(most recently 5 Grammys-most ever won by a british female). It was most recently re-released as a deluxe edition with B-side(Cupid, Monkey man) tracks and her interpretation of "Valerie" in Nov 2007
Amy herself has been in the news over and over again to her personal behaviour and problems but I do not think that this has hurt the sale of her songs. Some people may argue that she is a bad role model but this is due to people putting celebrities on a pedestal and the media chasing stories to sell their papers.
Her influence has already been great. She is setting trends in fashion(Beehive hairdo and short skirt) and music and has paved the way for new artists such as Adele.
Love her or hate her, she is here to stay. There is talk of collaborations with Prince and Damian Marley and future collaboration with Mark Ronson so if she can keep to her music, she will not GO, GO,GO!!!
Back to black can be purchased from most Cd shops. Amazon has it for £6.98 (£8.98 for the deluxe edition), can be found on Ebay for £5.99 on buy it now (£9.99 for the deluxe) and £6.99 in HMV (£8.99 for the deluxe) so excellent value.
Thank you for reading!
Also on Ciao!
Summary: A great buy and a great album.
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