Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Amy Winehouse is one of the most gifted soul singers to come along in years, with a fantastic voice and loads of songwriting talent. But that gift lives within a person who, if the songs are indeed autobiographical as she claims, loves to abuse alcohol, weed, and men. The lyrics are deceptively vulgar at times, but that strike against her isn't enough to outweigh the fact that this is a phenomenal album of classic soul music.
Families can talk about Winehouse's various views on love, from scorned and adulterous to vigorously loyal. But most of all, Winehouse offers a nearly transparent view into the psyche of someone who imbibes in more than her fair share of alcohol and pot. These songs show a woman perfectly aware of her vices but unwilling to change. There's a lifetime's worth of conversations in that subject matter: Is experimentation with alcohol and pot at a certain age okay? What does drinking responsibly mean? How do you know when it's a problem?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jim Welte
Like many great albums -- and this is the best soul record to come out since 1998's Miseducation of Lauryn Hill -- Amy Winehouse's BACK TO BLACK gets better with each play. First-time listeners will think they've come across a batch of re-released oldies from the Motown canon, mixed in with a few more hip-hop influenced songs. Winehouse's voice ranges from sweet to husky, and the production from Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson is wonderfully retro -- full of horn stabs, jazz guitar riffs, piano arpeggios, and classic doo-wop harmonies.
An acute ear or additional listens will unveil a remarkably layered personality and songwriting palate. Winehouse shows off a disarmingly tart tongue, brutally dishing out abuse to the other sex, as on "Me & Mr. Jones," which employs the rarely used profanity, "F--kery." On the album's debut single, the irresistibly catchy "Rehab," Winehouse unabashedly explains her avoidance of treatment for her alcohol dependence. On "Addicted," she declares her love of weed above all else, and recounts her adulterous transgressions with self-deprecating wit on "You Know I'm No Good," which features a cameo rap verse by Ghostface Killah.
But if you dig even deeper into Back to Black, you'll see a woman who is deep, self-aware, and even devoted at times. On songs like "Tears Dry On Their Own," Winehouse reminds herself of the need for independence and her fear that she won't be able to avoid attaching herself to the next man that comes her way. On "Some Unholy War," she talks of her undying loyalty to her man, willing "to be behind him/straight shook up beside him/with strength he didn't know."
Back to Black has it all: soul-drenched jazz and funk music, a dynamic voice, and terribly well-written songs. This couldn't come any more highly recommended.
Fans of Amy Winehouse might also want to check out Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu, and Nina Simone.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSeveral veiled references, including mention of an ex-lover's penchant for getting his "d--k wet." |
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LanguageA generous helping of four-letter words ("f--k" and "s--t"), including the rarely heard "f--kery." |
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Social BehaviorPrimarily deals with Winehouse's up and down relationships with men, booze, and weed. |
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CommercialismName-drops a couple of liquor brands, including Tanqueray. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoMany alcohol and pot references, including a song about her decision to skip rehab and another in which she declares her love for weed above all else. |
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