Search - Amy Winehouse :: Back to Black [Clean Version]

Great on every level

M. DePonte | Griswold, CT | 11/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard of Amy Winehouse as a drunken idiot who consistently fouled up live performances. But I kept hearing about her.



This record is a revelation. The best album of the last 15 years. Amy Winehouse is a drunken fool the same way Janis Joplin was. Amy Winehouse has the talent to be the best soul vocalist of this era - if she lives."

Forget all the dissection...it just sounds so damned good.

D. Hinson | atlanta, ga usa | 09/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have grown so weary of people dissecting this album for flaws, repetitive beats, retro-ness, and the like. And I am especially sick and tired of people confusing this amazing artist's life with her art. Is Van Gogh's work any less important, or is it in any sense less amazing, because he had such bad emotional problems that he cut off his ear and shot himself in the chest twice--killing himself at 36? NO, NO, NO!



I don't care how the artist, producers, button pushers, chalkboard scrapers, or anyone else involved in the making of the recording achieved the sound when it is this amazing. In my estimation, what really matters at the end of the day, is the way an album sounds, and this one is off the charts!



The songs on this album run the gamut from suicidal to exhilarated, playful to provocative, old school to new school, fawning to tempting, without ever skipping a beat. And then there is that voice--like Etta James, Billie Holliday, Bettye LaVette, and all The Supremes rolled into one beautiful ear candy confection---chased with a shot of tequila. And did I mention that she has the swagger and in-your-face attitude of another uniquely original artist--Madonna. I realize they are worlds apart musically, but the presence and panache that they both exhibit are what makes me draw the parallel. For better or worse, Amy has the f-you attitude that Madonna had when she was starting out. Say what you will about this woman, but there is no one else like her, and this album proves it in spades!"