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Liberator 6.2
Amy Winehouse
Back to Black
(Universal/DefJam)

Young British phenomenon Amy Winehouse unleashes her second album and first U.S. release, "Back to Black" -- proclaiming vocal superiority over the raw, introspective truths that go hand in hand with loving all things bad for you. Her lyrics come off revealing and selfish; gorgeous and ugly and the entire feel of the album can jilt from strength to dysfunction. But Winehouse uses "Back to Black" to remind us that conflict and contradiction are often necessary evils. And before you can come to terms with whether it's a good or bad thing that you can actually relate, you're beckoned by the innocently infectious sound of 50s and 60s Motown. I fell in love with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings for similar reasons. The musical arrangements on "Back to Black" compliment Winehouse's organic voice and soften the blow of her reality checks. The first track prepares the senses with "Rehab," as a self-assured delivery makes refusal of treatment an enjoyable anthem when Winehouse croons, "I said, no, no, no!" Apparently Ghostface Killah had the foresight to recognize the self-excusing sexiness of the 2nd track, "You Know I'm No Good", because he included it on his sixth solo album, "More Fish." The energy (as opposed to the imitation) of Etta James gets conjured on the title track, "Back to Black," describing final resignation to a recanting lover, "so far removed from all that we been through." You hear hints of Etta in "Love is a Losing Game" as well, with Winehouse showing her ability to firmly plant vocals over gentle, easy-going swing music. "Tears Dry on Their Own" revitalizes the pallet with jazzy beats resembling easy-listening contemporaries like Katie Melua and Jamie Cullum, but with soul. And my personal favorite, "Wake Up Alone," culminates the inevitable result of an album full of passion and vulnerability leaving an echo of what classics might sound like today in your ears. Despite the usual "uncomfortable" critic, Amy Winehouse is getting a flood of much deserved praise for "Back to Black." We're sure to see more of her intimate and refreshingly versatile style in the states, better late than never.
(Erika Evans)