Album: Amy Winehouse – Back To Black

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At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that Brit Amy Winehouse was little more than a wannabe Christina Aguilera who doesn’t know the meaning of subtle eye make up. But as we all know, looks can be deceiving - for when Amy opens her mouth, a new person emerges. This person and this album is something between Spanky Wilson, Billie Holiday and The Supremes.On top of the ten catchy and traditionally soulful tunes, Amy’s mature vocals tell stories of heartbreak, imperfection and tragedy that can’t help but move you.

Just by reading the titles of the tracks on offer, we can see that Back To Black is not going to be a cheerful outing. However, with more upbeat tunes like Tears Dry On Their Own and You Know I'm No Good, you can easily forget about what is actually being said in the track.

On You Know I'm No Good, Amy is unrepentant about her deceitfulness. You Know I'm No Good was remade with Ghostface Killah on his More Fish LP and translates well into a Hip Hop banger, but it works just as well without him. However, Amy truly shines on the more brooding tracks like Wake Up Alone and the awesome title track Back To Black.

Another highlight is the very groovy horn driven cut Rehab, which centres on someone (probably Amy herself) and their reluctance to face their drinking problems. With the help of producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, Back To Black is an awesome album plucked from the ‘60s and dropped amongst a new age of albums rife with guest appearances and rampant sampling. Although neo-soul heads and newbies to R&B may not dig this, let’s be honest - the best soul came out of the ‘60s. Back to Black avoids the current trend in R&B by being unabashedly grown-up in both style and content.

Available Through Republic