What’s the deal with all the British import singers and rappers of late? The Streets, Lady Sovereign, and Lily Allen are making big waves and making us forget all about the Spice Girls (Thank god!). One singer, who just appeared out of nowhere and sounds like she came through a time machine by way of the '50s jazz era, is Amy Winehouse. Her voice, reminiscent of Eartha Kitt among many other old jazz singers, and her band (The Dap-Kings and producer Mark Ronson), sound straight out of the Motown soul movement of the '60s. It’s a combination that leaves the rest of her contemporaries in the dust!
The funny thing about her is that through all that nostalgia, she sounds as current and new as anything out there today. Album opener “Rehab” starts off sounding like something Ronnie Spector did back in the day, except she’s singing about not wanting to go to rehab. Mixing cutting-edge themes with retro style, her album Back To Black is full of black humor, which may be what the album title is insinuating. Who knows? Standout track “You Know I’m No Good,” is so good that it’s already been sampled on Ghostface Killah’s album More Fish, while her song “Rehab” has been remixed by Hot Chip. Yes, she is that good!
A mainstay on British charts and in British tabloids since the 2000s, she takes R&B to a place that embraces the past while pushing its boundaries into the future. Plus, she don’t seem to take shit from anyone, which comes across nice and clear on most tracks. Take a listen; this Brit’s album is GOOD!
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