Amy Winehouse
Back to Black
(Island)
Talk about fast introductions! The first line, first breath is “They tried to make me go to rehab, I said no no no.” Ten seconds in, you know more about this tattooed Brit siren than most of your acquaintances. Further in, on “Me & Mr. Jones,” she demands “What kind of fuckery is this?” coining a word that combines “relationship” and “betrayal.” There is beauty in such bluntness. Every echo, every note on the title cut is a sublime re-engagement with a type of ’60s pop neglected save for the odd James Bond theme. Winehouse has retooled her act from seductive warbler to someone you might meet in jail. Unexpectedly entrancing.
—Doug Taylor
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.