AMY WINEHOUSE - "Back To Black"
 
Released in the UK on 10.23.06 as the follow-up to her 2003 release "Frank", Amy Winehouse's latest offering "Back to Black" is one of the finest Soul albums in the past decade.

At first listen one might tend to treat this album as a retread of Soul hits from the Sixties, but the material is much deeper than that.

From the opening smash "Rehab" to the closing track "Addicted", each song is a breath of fresh air. Mark Ronson & Salaam Remi's production is simply brilliant, the songwriting is unique and at times a bit unorthodox (in a good way that is), and Amy's vocals are outstanding to say the least.

There are many different flavors sprinkled throughout the album. From Northern Soul, to Hip-Hop, to Ska, to straight up ballads. Each track differs from the next, however seamlessly rather than just feeling like a bunch of random tracks thrown together hastily.

While the entire album is solid from top to bottom, my personal favorites are:

* "Just friends"
* "Back to black"
* "Tears dry on their own"
* "Addicted"

This album will not be released in the United States until 3.20.07.
I can't recommend this album enough. I personally haven't enjoyed a Soul album this much since Erykah's "Baduizm" back in 1997. Once you've digested "Back to Black", go and grab her debut album "Frank", as it is solid as well. There are also various live performances, remixes, and non-LP tracks floating around the net.

So.... Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" is indeed a Turntable Treat!

- Shawn Shadow (Webmaster)