Amy Winehouse has gained a lot of critical acclaim for her second album (and first U.S. release) Back To Black. It features the style of 1960's pop/soul updated ever so slightly for the 2000s. This is certainly a fun album to listen to and in the current music landscape, it feels fresh. However, as I listened to this album, cynicism came creeping in. So, I wondered... is Back To Black a good album, a fun gimmick or perhaps both?
First, let's deal with the easy stuff. Produced by Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, this album has a wonderful sound that replicates the sound of old-school soul with ease. Winehouse herself has an intriguing voice, one that is unique enough to elicit comparisons to multiple artists.
Winehouse pens all the tracks on this album and she has a knack for crafting catchy, clever lines. Although "Rehab" is quite dark when you think about it (it's about an intervention, after all), a smile certainly comes to my face when I hear her sing "They tried to make me go to rehab and I said no no no." "Love Is A Losing Game" is a nice confection, one that seems like it's over far too quickly. "You Know That I'm No Good," has a nice hip-hop element to it and it's easy to see why Ghostface Killah borrowed it for his album More Fish.
In the first paragraph, I mentioned one word that sends chills down the spines of many music fans... gimmick. Usually, that word is reserved for the prefab, the manufactured, the artists who blatantly do whatever it takes to attract an audience, quality be damned. Nearly every boy band is a gimmick, playing to the vulnerable hearts and minds of tween and teenage girls who want to see and hear cute guys sing love songs. The more I thought about Amy Winehouse, the more I thought about the idea of a gimmick.
Much of Amy Winehouse's buzz comes from her reviving 1960's-style pop/soul, something that actually sounds gimmicky. Why? Well, what better way to attract baby boomers (the people who were actually alive when this style of music was made) than to make new music that sounds similar to what they remember?
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i don't think this is a gimmick. the record is just too strong start to finish.
i mean, check out Winehouse singing "Valerie" in an acoustic setting. crazy.
2 - Constance
I downloaded Back to Black and Timberlands new CD off iTunes. Amy I could listen to and I immediately liked. Timberland, could not. I'm a little sad because I usually love Timberland. But kudos to good soul wrapped in an interesting package.
3 - Clint
Is it a gimmick to sing a style of music you're inspired by? I don't think so.
4 - BEZ
I am now stupider for having read this article.
Best album of the year.
5 - Josh
I'm going to strongly disagree with BEZ. Well done, Sterfish. Well written and thought out.
6 - Tom Johnson
"Confection"? "Gimmick"? Jesus. Absolutely no gimmick here and I think you should feel ashamed for even questioning Winehouse's credibility after listening to this album. The only problem with this album is what you praise: the production styles by Ronson and Remi, who are so busy making sure you know it's them rather than focusing on Amy's powerhouse vocals and lyrics that they initially take away from her gifts. If you truly listened to this and listened through the awful over-production, you'd hear that what she's singing is coming from the heart. This is dark, dark stuff - real soul, not "confection" as you so simplistically put it. I think people have gotten so used to hearing confectionery (the majority of r&b of today) that they actually question the real deal when it's presented to them. But here, where you actually make a case for her, and then wind up just questioning her, I'm just baffled. The only feeling I come out this review with is thinking that you didn't really listen to this album that much before writing it. Sorry man, that's just the impression I'm left with here.
7 - Don Baiocchi
Have you read anything about Amy herself? Does she give you them impression that she cares about catering to baby boomers whatsoever? Yes, all CDs are products meant to make money, but still. It's interesting that you compliment her and insult her in one review.
8 - Temple Stark
These come across as Sterfish's true feelings and I especially like the last paragraph. To question whether something is a gimmick is not an insult - if that's what actually crossed your mind. I've listened to three songs from Winehouse, but while she has a great voice, it's all too slow for me and I deleted them off my computer.
I also had the exact same thought as Clint when reading the review. - Temple
9 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.
10 - Connie Phillips
After reading several reviews about this CD on these pages, my curiosity was piqued and I picked it up the end of last week knowing I was going on a road trip and would have time to listen this weekend.
I was quite impressed, actually, and don't think it falls under the category of gimmick... but the article is well written and I respect where you're coming from, Sterfish.
11 - T'mae
Even before the release Back to Black, I listened to earlier Amy Winehouse and was instantly drawn to her style. What a breath of fresh air! I don't agree that this is a gimmick to appeal to a wider audience although I am on the tail-end of the boomer generation. I may be an exception to my age group as I follow the music scene quite closely. Snaps to Amy for thinking outside the box and not sounding like most other female artists these days. Her funky tunes and creative lyrics have me hooked.
12 - me
She has a very uniqe style that mixes jazz, blues, hip hop, gospel and swing but with an insiteful twist into the dimmed reality as she sees it. I really don't think it is a gimmick just an artist trying to find a niche in an over crowed industry.
13 - JC Mosquito
I gave it a couple of spins - it sounds like it was recorded in a toilet - an early 1960's toilet, mind you, and that's where the whole problem lies. The absolute perfection in dupicating 60's production values obscures Winehouse's songwriting skills and vocals. Can she write? Can she sing? I don't know yet - I'm still mezmerised by the time travel effect of the whole package.
14 - sullyrock
I think the only thing wrong about the review was the word "gimmick" there are obvious 1960's influences, and that the reviewer is correct when he says"
"Music critics can get sucked in too since they are probably glad to hear something R & B/soul-ish that isn't R. Kelly or Akon, isn't produced by Timbaland, isn't "pretentious" neo-soul, and isn't sung by someone who has no business singing."
All in all I think it is a honest point of view that I can appreciate- I just dig the album, and yes I am a baby boomer!
15 - T.
That was the worst piece of writing I've read in awhile. Come on man! Even a shallower music critic, if he genuinely knew music, would, upon listening to 10 minutes of Amy, would realise her as an unusually gifted artist..regardless of any other opinion you have of her. I'm talking musically speaking...not venturing off on your "cynical" attitude that you can't keep from giving a biased reading of the facts in front of your ears and brain...The feeling I had after reading the above review? You have no passion for the subject of Amy Winehouse, for or against.