Title: Back to Black
Artiste: Amy Winehouse
Genre: Soul
Familiarity: Zero, though who hasn't heard of her?
Recommended by: Justthefacts
Expectations: Everyone loves this album and even the critics all agreed it was excellent. Me? I'll make up my own mind, thanks.
1. Rehab: Sounds very seventies motown certainly; don't like the sentiments expressed in the lyric, and considering her eventual fate maybe she should have listened when “They tried to make me go to rehab” but she said “no no no.”
2. You know I'm no good: This one's better. Got a nice rhythm to it.
3. Me and Mr. Jones: This is pure gospel, mixing in some elements of jazz and soul. Pretty good really.
4. Just friends: More in the soft soul mode now, with reggae kicking in, which kind of spoils it for me then.
5. Back to black: Yeah, this is excellent. A real motown sound with a very catchy hook and some pretty honest-sounding lyrical material. I have actually heard this, just didn't realise it was her.
6. Love is a losing game: Nice ballad, very soulful.
7. Tears dry on their own: Don't like the start, but then it develops something like a Supremes song. Nice. Percussion in the verses is annoying.
8. Wake up alone: Nice sort of fifties ballad.
9. Some unholy war: Another kind of balladic track.
10. He can only hold her: More upfront soul. Decent song but I'm not crazy about it.
11. Addicted: Yeah again it's okay but I'm not that impressed.
End result: I'm really not into this kind of music, and kind of don't see what all the fuss about her was when she was alive. But her talent as a musician can't be denied; it's just a tragedy, and a totally avoidable one, that she died so young. As I say, not music I generally go for, but for what it is, it is very good.
So, Love or Hate? Despite one Blue, I think the best I can give this is a
Like.