Amy Winehouse's sophomore album Back to Black will make jaws drop.
If you don't know what to expect, the singer will catch you off guard: Winehouse is a very slight girl with long black hair and tattoos, but the booming, rich voice that comes out of her thin frame sounds like it should be coming from someone who looks more like Aretha Franklin. Back to Black matches Winehouse's voice with a multilayered potpourri of Motown, jazz and gospel delivered with a modern sensibility. But through unabashedly honest lyrics that read like a diary entry, the singer manages to create something entirely new from her influences.
Back to Black achieved great success when it was released in Great Britain in fall 2006. In January 2007, the album hit the No. 1 spot on the British charts, and in February, Winehouse received the award for best British female solo artist at the Brit Awards.
She can expect similar success in the United States. Her Motown-inspired sound comes to America in the wake of the enormous success of "Dreamgirls," which demonstrates that the American public is ready to revisit the timeless sounds of the girl groups of the '50s and '60s. In everything from her teased, black beehive hairdo to her sound, Winehouse puts a modern spin on a classic idea.
"Rehab," the album's opening track and the first single released in Britain, shows strong gospel influences in the clapping and the deep moan with which Winehouse accents the vocals. The lyrics were inspired when her management company suggested she go to rehab for her drinking problems, which haven't seemed to stop: Winehouse has received media attention recently for things such as drunkenly punching a fan.
But events like this only add to Winehouse's persona and the texture of her story. Back to Black is an album about the problems of a real person that does not feel manufactured or romanticized in the least.
The booming beat with which "You Know I'm No Good" follows "Rehab" lets listeners know immediately they are in for a sound very different from the gospel-influenced opener. The album's first single replaces the old-school groove of "Rehab" with an urban soundtrack rich in jazzy trumpets and drums that tells the story of Winehouse's inability to maintain a relationship.
The album's namesake track starts out with a beat that sounds almost exactly like the beginning of the Supremes' "Baby Love," but where "Baby Love" quickly slips into bubblegum cooing, Winehouse compliments the low-base notes with her thick, honey voice and dark, confessional lyrics. The end of the song strikes a somber tone when the drums and piano stop to allow the tambourine to unexpectedly take center stage, before slowly building back up for a dramatic finish.
"Tears Dry on Their Own" evokes the upbeat feel of songs by Jackson 5 or Aretha Franklin. By this point, the listener is entirely engaged in the journey Winehouse is leading, and the sunny track represents a happy release from the defeated tone the past few songs had begun to take on.
"Wake Up Alone" again takes the listener back to the sound of the girl groups of the early '60s, but makes itself interesting and fresh by setting the sound of Winehouse's rich voice against sweet-sounding music that usually accompanies songs about holding hands and getting married. Lyrics such like "I stay up clean the house/ at least I'm not drinking/ run around just so I don't have to think about thinking" are contrast with the polished backdrop and add a new lyrical depth to the girl-group sound, speaking to the modern listener in ways the older songs cannot.
"Some Unholy War" takes the listener deeper into the territory that was entered with "Wake Up Alone," making a smooth transition to a more modern, hip-hop-influenced sound. Winehouse's edgy inflection here is even reminiscent of reggae at times.
Appropriately, Back to Black closes with "Addicted," a balanced fusion of modern and past influences. Lyrics about smoking weed are set perfectly to the multilayered sound of tambourine, quivering backup singers and flute.
In addition to the merits of each individual song, the album is greater than the sum of its parts. Each song is strong enough to stand on its own, but the perfect unity of these stories in the album paints a detailed picture.
Back to Black not only depicts one woman's journey through difficult times, but also seamlessly integrates past musical influences while making them relevant to modern audiences. Winehouse creates a sophisticated collage referencing everything from Billie Holiday to the Supremes to the Bee Gees to the bombastic hip-hop sounds of the present with her incredibly rich voice, which manages an honesty and vulnerability while still establishing its strength.
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
