Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
R&B/Soul – Released October 27, 2006 – 11 songs, 35 mins
Average Rating: 7.5
LUNDI’s album drop:
For this week my pick kind of came out of nowhere. I had a few personal albums picked out that were more in my wheelhouse of music tastes but as I was scrolling through Twitter a few days ago I seen some tweets about this artist from Mr. George ‘great music taste, terrible hockey panelist’ Strombolopolous. 13 years ago this past Tuesday, this artist won 5 Grammy’s, setting a record for a female artist. Tragically it was her last album as she fell victim to the 27 club. This week’s album is Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
REID
I was delighted Lundi chose this album as I had recently downloaded. Let’s go!
To avoid redundancy, I’m doing my song breakdown a little differently this week. My favourite song on the album is at #2, You Know I’m No Good; the best blend of bass, horns and Amy’s swagger for my money. Tears Dry on Their Own (#7) is another gem for me. Upbeat, the music is super cool and her vocals are fun. Really enjoy the slow, defeated mood on Love is A Losing Game (#6) as well. Winehouse kills it. I got lost a little in the album’s sadness at times so I enjoyed the He Can Only Hold Her (#10) and Addicted (#11) finish. The messages may not be uplifting but the songs themselves are to me. The rest of the album is strong in its production value and Amy’s talent is undeniable. She was a rockstar. But they fell short of being noteworthy.
The most important point I want to make on this review is I think it needs more than a week for me to fully appreciate. I’ve heard the documentary is a worthy watch and it’ll up the appreciation level too. I intend to give it a watch some time and will keep this one downloaded for future listens. This would be an interesting album to re-review down the road.
Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Favourite Song – You Know I’m No Good
ROZ
While I’ve never been a fan of her, nor have I ventured any further than her hit song Rehab, I’ve always known that Amy was a fantastic singer who left the music world too soon; an individual who fell victim to her personal demons and the dreaded “27 club”. With that being said, here is my review of her second and final album, Back To Black.
The album starts with Rehab, which has to be by far her most popular song. In hindsight it’s an extremely dark song, knowing what ultimately ended up happening to her. The song itself is very catchy, with its old school soul and RnB sound. Her voice is fantastic (as it was known for), and it made me very excited to dive deeper into this record. You Know I’m No Good combines crispy drum breaks with a low, groovy bass line, smooth saxophone and her signature voice. “What kind fuckery is this?” she cries out in Me & Mr. Jones, which got a laugh out of me. I really can’t undersell the quality of her vocals, as I really do enjoy her deep, soulful tones - it really is quite astonishing to know that all of that soul came from her tiny frame.
While Just Friends didn’t give me anything noteworthy (other than giving me the urge to float over to a swim up bar), both Back To Black and Love Is A Losing Game were fantastic. I’m getting that “James Bond hanging out in a smoky martini bar” vibe once again as I did with Lundi’s pick Portishouse a few weeks ago. Once again I go through another dip with Tears Dry On Their Own, only to have my enjoyment shoot back up with Wake Up Alone. You can really feel the sadness and grief in her lyrics, which makes her death only more tragic. After these few songs it dips for me again, and unfortunately this dip lasts the remainder of the record. It’s not that the music isn’t good - it’s just not a genre that I throw myself into very much.
To summarize, I feel as though her entire ethos puts me into a time machine and sends me back into the era of the 60s girl group. While it isn’t exactly my favorite style, you can’t knock the woman's supermassive talent. RIP Amy.
Overall Rating – 6.8/10
Favourite Song – Wake Up Alone
LUNDI
Man, them damn Brits know how to write a breakup album eh? I bet Adele walked into her record label and said “I’ve got the next Back to Black” when she released 21. I don’t exactly know the best break up albums but I imagine these stories rank high.
I found this album extremely soulful and relatable. Has a continuous jazzy R&B mood throughout and while it blends together into one similar sound I never found myself bored with the album.
Particular standout tracks to me are Rehab which is haunting in light of how her life ended and the title track Back to Black. Also loved You Know I’m No Good to round out my personal favourites.
I’m not sure how often I’d listen to this album on my own but to me this is a perfect dinner party or chill night over drinks album. Personally I’ve added it to my record list for a future purchase.
It’s a shame we didn’t get more out of this career but the best artists are troubled.
Overall Rating – 8.3/10
Favourite Song – Rehab