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I've been listening to the Winehouse CD I made a lot in the last week and it's really grown on me to the point that it's constantly what's on in the car player. (And my SO, with whom I almost never agree on music, also loves it, to my surprise). Having gotten more familiar with it I'd say Back to Black is by far the superior album. I love You Know I'm No Good, Love is a Losing Game, Me & Mr Jones... and my favorite song is a cover track called Valerie - it's a live perfomance that I downloaded, should be pretty easy to find.
Frank is overproduced, too jazzy in a way that sounds inauthentic, and - whether this was her choice or a producer's I don't know - the way Amy sings on it is a little cookie cutter for me, sounding like some kind of sassy Erykah Badu clone. ...Bearing in mind that I still enjoy some of the songs, the album just pales in comparison to Back to Black, where the music is richer, the lyrics more complex, and Amy's voice much stronger and more (for lack of a better word) beautiful. If she sticks around and works with the right people I could see her developing further and becoming truly great as time goes on.
As far as the image goes, I rather think it's overhyped. I'm suspicious of the role her gender plays in the shock value, or glamor factor, or whatever it is that makes her drinking the focus of so much attention. And maybe I'm just getting old and crotchety, but I don't find being a drinker who's unlucky in love either incredibly alluring & cool or shockingly sad & offensive. Mostly I find it a distraction from who she is as a musician, which is fascinating enough in its own right. |
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