Back to Black - Blender

Review

Amy Winehouse

Back to Black

(Universal Republic)
Release Date: 03/13/2007 12:00

Reviewed by Douglas Wolk

Her bio sounds really annoying: a young white Brit who imitates classic jazz singers, name-drops rappers midsong and jokes about substance-abuse issues (the first song on this second record is about refusing to go to rehab). But her album, already a U.K. No. 1, sounds fantastic — partly because the production nails sample-ready ’60s soul right down to the drum sound; and partly because Winehouse is one hell of an impressive singer, especially when she’s not copping other people’s phrasing. And her self-lacerating lyrics incorporate sly little shocks — like when her lover deduces from her carpet burns that she’s been cheating.

Download: “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good”

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