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Home » Blogs » Malinda Lo's blog » Amy Winehouse is just so good

Amy Winehouse is just so good

by
Malinda Lo

Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, a follow-up to her debut smash Frank (2003), is finally available today in the United States, and if you haven't heard her before, you're in for a treat. Back to Black is a soulful, bluesy album of breakup and makeup songs, all filtered through Winehouse's unique take on 1960s-era girl groups. There are infectious choruses that hearken back to the Supremes, but instead of warbling "Baby I need your love," Winehouse is declaring in her sultry, almost nonchalant voice, "They tried to make me go to rehab I said no no no/Yes I've been black but when I come back no no no."

And the second single, "You Know I'm No Good," is a brutal acknowledgement that yeah, she can cheat and she can lie, but when she sings "I told you I was trouble/You know that I'm no good," somehow you just want to forgive her.

My favorite track on the album (so far, anyway) is definitely the title track, "Back to Black," an account of spiraling into depression after a breakup. Sounds miserable, true, but for some reason Winehouse's lyrics and her Nina Simone-esque, smoky vocal tones make the misery feel a little bit like intoxication. Go to amywinehouse.com to get a sneak preview of the video for this song.

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    • Submitted by
    Malinda Lo
    on March 13, 2007 - 12:26pm.
    TAGS :: 
    supersisi's picture

    amy amy amy

    Submitted by
    supersisi (9 posts)
    on March 13, 2007 - 1:22pm.

    I've been a fan since her first album and when i found out she was playing at the university where I work in (Newcastle, England) two weeks ago I managed to get on the guest list last minute!

    What a show.

    What a girl.

    Her voice is cigarettes and alcohol on soul. Her lyrics are unquestionable, and she hasn't been off my ipod since!

     

     

     

    heidi's picture

    timing or what?

    Submitted by
    heidi (43 posts)
    on March 13, 2007 - 1:39pm.

    that's so weird.  i was trying to get rehab for my ipod just yesterday.  i'm so glad y'all posted this because i went back and got it today. 

    i wouldn't go to rehab either.  just say no no no!

    Dorothy Snarker's picture

    Back to Black

    Submitted by
    Dorothy Snarker (1739 posts)
    on March 13, 2007 - 5:49pm.
    God, this song is amazing. I've got it on repeat on my iPod and am christening today Black Tuesday. Smashing, simply smashing.


    Why I Don't Sleep Much: Dorothy Surrenders

    alex's picture

    amy!!

    Submitted by
    alex (470 posts)
    on March 13, 2007 - 6:14pm.
    it's about time you posted on Amy Winehouse. she's absolutely amazing - she's like a throwback to motown gone extra naughty!
    Dani's picture

    f me pumps oh how that cracks me up

    Submitted by
    Dani (29 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 1:27am.

    I remember my aunt saying "have you heard about this girl who's got a great sound yet is an undeniable drunk" and to be honest I had no idea whom she was referring to at the time, but I finally realized that the girl I had seen a video of a couple days before my aunt said what she said was indeed Miss Winehouse. Cool chick with a silly little drinking habit.

    phrogget's picture

    I really like the album. Not

    Submitted by
    phrogget (15 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 1:29am.
    I really like the album. Not so keen on her tatoos though :D
    ice cream's picture

    Gorgeous voiceA permanent

    Submitted by
    ice cream (not verified)
    on March 14, 2007 - 2:17am.

    Gorgeous voice

    A permanent fixture in my "I think I dig you" mix tapes.

    Rose's picture

    AMY

    Submitted by
    Rose (72 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 2:20am.
    AMY is fab, talanted can sing and play an instrument and was NOT a product of the X FACTOR long may the opinionated one keep doing the business.
    JBLuver's picture

    The most talented people

    Submitted by
    JBLuver (216 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 9:37am.
    The most talented people tend to be the most self-destructive, but Amy Winehouse does it with flair. "Tears Dry on Their Own" is my favorite song off the album- on permanent repeat on the I-pod. "Addicted" is close second for one line in the song. Ya'll know what it is. That girl is FIRE! Hopefully she'll sober up and start an American tour.
    BetweenThaLines's picture

    She's sooo amazingly good!

    Submitted by
    BetweenThaLines (350 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 5:32pm.
    I hadn't heard from her before, but I recently heard Rehab and I loved it so I bought the album. And I've never gotten addicted to any kind of music before! She's sooooooo good! My favourite song is Love Is A Loosing Game, but Back to Black comes very close. I actually love them all! Which also is very rare, I usually only really like a couple of songs on an album. I'll definitely be a fan forever!
    Lily WabiSabi's picture

    You go back to her...

    Submitted by
    Lily WabiSabi (73 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 5:41pm.

    That's really weird, I'd just commented on this post but it hasn't come through. I must have done it wrong or maybe it just takes time to appear.

     

    Anyway, I was just saying I'm in love with "Back to black" and cannot get over the lyrics. "We only said goodbye with words / I died a hundred times" is completely what my first love felt like. And what an amazing voice!

     

    Sorry if the post does show up and I'm just repeating myself.

     

     

    Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil... prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel. (Terry Pratchett).

    Teratouwaka's picture

    Wow

    Submitted by
    Teratouwaka (30 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 6:07pm.

    I saw her in Newcastle a few weeks ago.  Wow.  I absolutely love her voice.  I love Motown and this voice rivals anything from the annuls.

    ice cream's picture

    love me some amy winehouse

    Submitted by
    ice cream (not verified)
    on March 14, 2007 - 6:27pm.
    a friend told me about her a couple of months ago, talkin' about how this chica was going to save music. I'm like, 'what?'--but I listened to Back to Black and I've had it in heavy rotation ever since. Her voice, her lyrics, her arrangements are all on point. I've a massive crush. Talent is sexy.
    Lily WabiSabi's picture

    Save music

    Submitted by
    Lily WabiSabi (73 posts)
    on March 14, 2007 - 7:35pm.

    Funny that thing about "saving music". It's been ages since I heard anything that made me feel that music could be as real for me as it was in the 90s, and Amy Winehouse seems to have managed that, at least for now :)

     

    Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil... prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Terry Pratchett.

    ~RYE~ Da TRINI w/da SMILE's picture

    Non stop play...

    Submitted by
    ~RYE~ Da TRINI ... (27 posts)
    on March 16, 2007 - 12:09pm.

    Meh love it got da CD on Wed nite....Can't stop playing it...Love her voice It's SEXY & Soulfull at da same time....Just worried now when meh see meh best gyul on Sat that she going to try & steal meh CD..(LOL)..Got to say meh agree with Lily that it's been 4ever since music seem real like in da 90's...Meh Gwan..~RYE~Da TRINI w/da SMILE

    Ski8's picture

    A Jewel or Jools?

    Submitted by
    Ski8 (12 posts)
    on March 17, 2007 - 10:11am.
    An unrivalled voice, dripping honey with a true 'BITE', who I 1st saw on 'Later With Jools Holland' (UK music show) a few years ago. I told many folks I knew that 'The Voice' had taken human form. Sheer Genius.
    Dori's picture

    I had such a crush on both

    Submitted by
    Dori (5 posts)
    on March 17, 2007 - 3:08pm.

    I had such a crush on both her voice and her curvaceous form on her last album cover.


     

    Now she looks emaciated. The voice is still on point but I look at pictures of her now and wonder, What happened?

     

    ice cream's picture

    Yeah

    Submitted by
    ice cream (not verified)
    on March 17, 2007 - 9:12pm.
    I heard she lost weight as a result of her record label's push to make her more marketable in the U.S. Don't know for sure but bigger is definately better in this case.
    Muriel's picture

    Yeah

    Submitted by
    Muriel (35 posts)
    on September 9, 2007 - 1:48pm.

    I couldn't agree with you more, Tov. Not only does Winehouse look sexier as a "bigger" woman, she looks happier, too. Hell, I like her better without the extreme makeup and the beehive, too. I didn't mind the makeup before, but seeing her without it makes me wish she didn't wear it, because she looks gorgeous without it.

    And I put "bigger" in parentheses because apparently not looking like your tiny, emaciated little legs are going to snap under the weight of your hair (and she does have a lot) means you look big.

    Perhaps we should be sending her food. I want the happy, sexier, BIGGER Amy back.

    meah bee's picture

    in love with miss winehouse...

    Submitted by
    meah bee (21 posts)
    on April 12, 2007 - 4:46pm.

    back to black is a gluttonous experience for me... i can't stop hitting repeat. back to black... love it!


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