{"id":461,"date":"2013-10-23T21:09:52","date_gmt":"2013-10-23T21:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=461"},"modified":"2013-10-23T23:41:12","modified_gmt":"2013-10-23T23:41:12","slug":"rs-451-amy-winehouse-back-to-black","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=461","title":{"rendered":"RS #451: Amy Winehouse – Back To Black"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Amy
You couldn’t write her story if you tried.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#451<\/p>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Amy Winehouse,\u00a0Back To Black
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Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a02006
\nPreviously Owned:<\/strong>\u00a0No
\nFirst Time Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0No<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Impressions: <\/strong>Oh, Winehouse. Your\u00a0tragic, tabloid-ready life story could overshadow your music. That would be a shame, I mean, on top of you already dying. Years of drug abuse, bulemia, personal drama and old-fashioned alcoholism led to you to drinking yourself to death in 2010. So sad, but life must go on and so must this review…”Rehab” is the big hit from the album and, it’s kind of hard to listen to, it’s so on the nose. The production is an interesting mix between new and old elements– neo-soul with a splash of golden-era ska and Billie Holiday-style vocals. The music is snappy, well arranged, nicely performed, complex and even challenging, and that’s just in the opening song. “You Know I’m No Good” slinks in and has a spy-movie spookiness and the tremendous lines “sniff me out like i was tanqueray” and “you tear men down like you was Roger Moore.” Her slurred, yet confident singing style is so compelling. Every song gets me right in the heart, but she’s still bawdy and kind of crazy. The whole album has well placed glorious horns, tasty guitar, strings, R&B beats, and updated ’60s girl group style– all supporting Winehouse’s off-kilter and precient vocals (“and I go back to black.”) Man…what a colossal waste, Winehouse. What kind of fuckery is this, indeed?<\/p>\n

Starred Songs:\u00a0<\/strong>“Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good”
\nSneaky Track:\u00a0<\/strong>“Back to Black”
\nShould this album be on the\u00a0list?<\/strong>\u00a0Yes
\nWill you listen to this again? <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n

Verdict:\u00a0<\/b>Tragic singer-songwriter blended R&B, reggae, ska, and soul with a depth that makes this a compelling if slightly depressing listen.
\nRating:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n