Review 1 of 21

dennis23 writes:

5of 5 Stars

I am an old fart who does not like hardly any hip-hop or other such contemporary music. My tastes in new music is more along the lines of White Stripes,Radiohead and such.
I got the Amy CD (yes,kids, you should PAY THE ARTIST!)because of reading so much pub about her.Even Ringo likes her and for this old Beatle fan,that sealed it.
Needless to say,I was very surprised. This is great CD and I think RS needs to put their listening ears on tighter because there is no way this CD should've earned only 3 stars from RS. I guess all the Grammy nominations also put the lie to RS's "expertise". (I have been reading RS since #1).
I was happy to hear such great vocals and songs come out of such a young gal,who really is an old soul,in all ways the word "soul" can be used. Heck,now that I think of it,I originally rated this CD 4 stars,but upgraded to 5,only because it's such a pleasant surprise.
I will for sure see Amy Winehouse if and when she appears in the Portland,OR area. Until then,"Frank" and her concert DVD will have to do.
I hope she moderates her substance intake somewhat as,speaking for myself and lots of others,I would hate to lose her too soon.
Losing Joplin when we did was bad enough.

Jan 16, 2008 13:56:11

Review 2 of 21

priscila130 writes:

5of 5 Stars

Amy is the real one. The most tallented singer and songwriter in a long time!! This CD is perfect although i really prefer her songs live because it shows her voice and her emotions better. I just wish that people could pay more attention to her music than to her scandals!And i was really disappointed that here she got 3 stars! I think it´s because she´s not american!! lol But she is much better than all the american singers together!!! Priscila

Jan 15, 2008 10:05:06

Review 3 of 21

starman writes:

5of 5 Stars

Amy is the real deal and she has a talent that is a once in a decade thing. This album is quite simply a stunning testement to her brilliant feisty jazz/blues/soul hip hop mix that references all these styles but is uniquely her own. I only hope that Amy doesn't self-destruct as she seems to be having a hard time of it lately. Stay real Amy, but get those demons of self-esteem problems under control. Use your insecurities for your music, channel them into brilliant lyrics but please please please don't end up another washed up casualty of too much acclaim too soon. The fans love ya girl now go and get sorted!

Jan 8, 2008 22:57:49

Review 4 of 21

sunspot42 writes:

5of 5 Stars

I have over a thousand albums in my collection - this is one of the ten best. Amy Winehouse sings like an improbable cross between Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield and Nina Simone, and she writes like a foul-mouthed Carole King. In other words, she's a one-woman Motown soul machine, and the most striking display of pop musical talent to come along probably since I was born 40 years ago. There literally isn't a weak track on this album, from the bawdy "Rehab" to the sultry "You Know I'm No Good" to the transcendent Spector-esque drama of the title track, this is pure '60s soul reimagined for the 21st century.

The heavyweight singles are so brilliant on this record they obscure some of the other tracks, songs which would be career highlights for most singers or composers. Take the album closer "He Can Only Hold Her" for example, a perfect melding of Dusty Springfield style light soul with modern beats - it's just breathtaking. Or the lovely "Just Friends", which sounds as if it came from a parallel-universe version of Stevie Wonder's 1972 record Talking Book. Every track on this record borders on the miraculous.

I'm not surprised Winehouse is a troubled soul – anybody this artistically gifted is going to have a hard time operating in the day to day world. People this enlightened just don't inhabit the same world as the rest of us, and history has shown us they frequently destroy themselves trying. It's a tragic paradox, because this world really needs the kind of outpouring of genuine soul Winehouse provides us on Back to Black.

The fact that Rolling Stone's reviewer was clueless enough to give this record only 3 stars is illustrative of just how out of touch the magazine has become with good music. Sad. Stick to reviewing Britney Spears' garbage.

Dec 6, 2007 20:27:57

Review 5 of 21

RachelNYC writes:

5of 5 Stars

I first heard about Amy Winehouse back in March or so when I
read an article on that site JuliB about this album's upcoming
release. That was ony like six months, ago and now she's one of
the biggest rock stars around. And deservedly so- she rocks!
Let's just hope she can manage to keep herself together, and
still be around in another six months. Back to Black is a great
album; it would be a shame if it's also her last great album

Nov 1, 2007 10:59:55

Review 6 of 21

jaymsee writes:

5of 5 Stars

The best new artist to come out in 30 years. Shades of Billie Holiday vocals with Dylanesque lyrics. This girl touches deep into your soul. Apparently the pain of her life is channeled into the songs. They are so real it is frightening.

Sep 1, 2007 16:34:15

Review 7 of 21

KChapman writes:

2of 5 Stars

This album made me realize two things. One, Winehouse is beautiful. Two, The Dap-Kings are amazing! The only thing I can say bad about this album, is that I wish it would have been Joss Stone on the vocals.

Aug 12, 2007 22:34:15

Review 8 of 21

johnnyninetynine writes:

5of 5 Stars

This is a watershed album. Original in both lyrics and song delivery, this will rank as one of the most influential albums of the decade. Not sure where the RS reviewer was going with this. I haven't been this excited about a new artist in years. I just hope she doesn't end up self-destructing. This lady is not quite stable.

Jul 31, 2007 12:40:41