Whilst obviously
being familiar with some of Winehouse's work in that I have existed for the
last few years, I am not hugely familiar with her back catalogue. Indeed, I
only found the extent of her trials and tribulations having watched the
insightful documentary last year. Why watch a documentary about someone I know,
and seemingly care, little about? Well, a combination of wanting to find out
more, and the novelty of watching it in Camden Market in the summer in a deck
chair; an uneven combination, I concede. It is hard to listen to the album
without reflecting on the tragedy that was Amy's life, and the film captures
the ferocity of the paparazzi in a manner that is genuinely startling. It is a
film that should lead to the demise of celebrity magazines and pages, but alas
it won't.
The album was a huge
success, with Amy's profile having grown due to the combination of the
slow-burn success of Frank, her debut, and her cover of the Zutons' Valerie
whilst working with Mark Ronson. Ronson co-produced this, her second album,
along with Salaam Remi. Amy won five Grammy awards for the album, catapulting
her into the limelight, which was probably the last thing she needed at that
time. Her troubled relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, and his time in
prison, was played out on the front pages of the press, and drove her greater
into an alcohol-filled and fueled abyss, culminating in her untimely death at
the age of 27. This album was her last as a result, and is painfully close to
the bone of her actual experience.
Rehab is an almost
universally loved song that I just don't enjoy that much. I think aspects of it
are spot on, such as the horn section, and the clapping sections, but I find
the chorus just doesn't move me. It's possibly also the crass nature of the chorus,
particularly in light of how the story ended. You Know I'm no Good has more of
Ronson's heavy use of horns, but a more interesting subject matter. Me & Mr
Jones could be a slow album track from the Ronettes, although with slightly
more explicit language. It's very swaggery, if that's even approaching a
reasonable adverb, but a bit on the repetitive front. Just Friends meanders a
bit around some pleasant enough sounding backing piece, but it's a little bit
coffee-shop-at-Christmas for me. Back to Black is the one song on this album
where everything just clicks. The simple piano progression, the great backing
harmonies, and the stunning vocal performance; it feels so genuinely
impassioned yet numb at the same time. Love is a Losing Game would be powerful
when performed live, but sounds a bit stifled on the recording, like Amy's
heart isn't in it - unless that's the point and it's a bit subtle for me. Tears
Dry on their Own boldly uses the tune from Ain't no Mountain High Enough, and
is good enough to almost do it justice. The lyrics are the best on the album,
and are delivered with real attack. The production is a bit sparser, which
gives Amy's voice the chance to shine.
Wake Up Alone is also brilliant lyrically, painting a very evocative set
of images, that sound painfully autobiographical (wake up/ clean the house/ at
least I'm not drinking) - Chloe loved the words of this song due to its poetic
yet cutting tone. Some Unholy War is either trying to be political, and not
quite working, or I've completely missed the point. He Can Only Hold Her starts
promisingly, all strutting vocals and punchy horns, but slightly peters out.
Addicted is a cleverly worded song with a great bassline and lovely drum rattle,
but three minutes of moaning about someone smoking your cannabis is a bit much
for me.
I should love this
album, as it has all the qualities I look for in a Motown album, but I just
don't feel particularly drawn to it. Perhaps it is a bit too derivative, or
samey, or I just wasn't in the mood for it for an entire week. It is clearly a
good album from an objective viewpoint, but I feel that the tragic story
surrounding the artist adds a depth to it that I don't think exists in the
reality of simply listening to it. Whilst being convinced I'm wrong, I just don't think it's a great album.
Chloe's
rating: 8
Chloe's
favourite song: 8. Wake up alone
Olly's
rating: 6
Olly's
favourite song: 5. Back to Black
Our next
week will be played out to the delicate melodies of 199. Sweet Baby James by
James Taylor. Sweet indeed.
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