Back To Black

I can't help but like this. Especially the Mark Ronson produced tracks - they capture that Phil Spector & Motown vibe so well with just the right amount of modern punch, dynamics, and flair. She has an incredibly soulful voice and her more modern/almost conversational lyrics make the experience more thrilling and not just a revival record. I feel like this is done with absolute reverence for the past while not simply being a reenactment act - similar to the way say the White Stripes' influences are obvious yet they coalesce into something fresh and unique. You can tell this comes from a real place and it is of course a tragedy that she was consumed by her addictions.

This album feels so classy. Every song fits into an overarching style and theme, yet stand out individually so as to never feel the same as the one before or after. A really neat album that could be at home on vinyl or the crappy headphones provided with your handset (I'm so sorry Amy).

Ok straight up for me one of the best albums of its generation.. artistry at its best.. Ronson and Salam killed it in the production as well, knew exactly when to get out of the way of amy and when to support her vocals..

“Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse (2006) Always wondered what all the fuss was about. Winehouse’s vocals are interesting enough, a kind of metallic contralto, with little pitch and dynamic range, but adequate control. In terms of composition, there are many familiar jazz, R&B, (early) rock, and even swing structures here, but nothing truly innovative. Some tracks bring to the ear immediate associations with earlier music, especially “You Know I’m No Good”, evocative of the retro swing Squirrel Nut Zippers’ Katherine Whalen on “It Ain’t You” and “Blue Angel” (on the album “Hot” [1996]). Not entirely derivative, but clearly from the same mold. Winehouse’s vocal performance is a distant second to Whalen’s, however. Lyrics aren’t bad—sassiness on display. Not exactly virtue-forming, and attempting to evoke little sympathy, but entertaining enough, if the listener is willing to suspend charitable feelings. A good album and artist, but not great. 3/5

I freely admit that I've been living under a rock since about 1995. I was of course aware of Amy Winehouse and felt the grief of her fans when she died but I'd never listened to her music. (OK, maybe I saw them do Rehab on Glee...) I didn't know what to expect but it sure wasn't this. Musically, it's a joy to hear such a clear echo of the girl groups and soul singers of the 1960s --- I especially like the sample of Ain't No Mountain High Enough in Tears Dry on Their Own. The music sounds completely modern and nicely retro. Lyrically, it's sometimes hilarious (what kind of fuckery is this?) but mostly it's depressing as hell. I hear a woman trying desperately to numb her pain while trying to sound devil-may-care. And it is obviously so much worse considering how her short life ended. I can't imagine a bleaker sentiment than Love is a Losing Game. One or two songs are misses for me but overall I really like this album. I'm angry that we lost such a talent so early and I hope that she is resting in peace.

A soulful, beautifully written, beautifully produced record. Definitely bittersweet in retrospect but Amy Winehouse has a beautiful voice and the songs to back it up. Rehab was the big single but Back to Black is absolutely the show-stopper here. All great writing and music, every track.

"We only said goodbye with words I died a hundred times" (Back to Black) "All I can ever be to you is a darkness that we knew And this regret I got accustomed to" (Tears dry on their own) Tenía muchas ganas de que me saliese este disco porque SABÍA que tenía que estar en la lista y me gusta un montón.

I try to go into these records objectively, with an open mind. Some times I just can’t. I know Amy Winehouse is a hero of sorts, but the music…it doesn’t feel authentic. It feels like an attempt to resell a sound from time that’s been forgotten. Modernize it, throw the word “fuckery” in there for good measure. Voila! Manufactured nostalgia for people who weren’t alive to experience the time they’re supposed to be nostalgic for. I don’t know…I can’t get past that. She’s talented, but it just feels manufactured to me.

She came on the scene with an explosive presence. She is indicative of Phil Spector's sound and Ronnie Spector's voice. There's definitely a bewitching quality to her vocals. This is especially present in "You Know I'm No Good." She's one of those artists that could sing the phone book and make it work. "What kind of fuckery is this?" is a question for the ages, and it sounds delightful coming from Winehouse. She sings from the heart as well. No song is a throw-away. Even the minor songs like Just Friends hit that mark of emotion she's going for. The beats are also so catchy on this album. Back to Black is practically iconic now. If Winehouse, Gaga, and Adele could have gotten together...Anyway, this album is a modern masterpiece.

Cela faisait des semaines que je marchais dans un désert d'immondices musicales. Mes jambes étaient lourdes et mes semelles enduites de Minutemen. Alors que des remontées gastriques ne cessaient de rappeler à ma salive l'épouvantable goût des New York Dolls, j'aperçus soudain une oasis : il s'agissait de Back To Black. Je m'y précipitai. Son courant eut à mon contact un effet immédiat ; mes tâches de Sepultura disparaissaient à mesure que je les frottais sous une cascade de Rehab tandis que mes plaies goldfrappiennes cicatrisaient bientôt dans un bain de You Know I'm No Good. J'appliquai enfin quelques gouttes de Love Is A Losing Game sur mon kyste elvis-costellien qui se vida instantanément de son contenu. Une étape inoubliable au cours de cette éprouvante traversée.

Look, it's not like it's a bad album. Not even close. But the fake, nostalgic vintage sound (the fauxstalgia, if you will) wears thin really REALLY fast. The fact that, following her death, dozens of imitations have popped up like mushrooms in the shade of a fallen tree doesn't help. I'm sick of hearing vocalists chewing their vowels to try to sound like fauxstalgic caricatures of the iconic vocalists of yore. For all that, it's still a good album. I can't, in good conscience, give it less than three stars. But my sheer annoyance with the fake vintage schtick won't let me give it any more than three stars either.

Great album, great voice. Terrible loss at such a young age. She even recognised her own problems in the track 'Rehab', but she obviously had too many demons. Well worth listening to.

Love this album; it really is one in a million. Full of soul, full of energy, full of life.

Por ahí leí el otro día que este disco es el más vendido en vinil, digamos del 2010 para acá, desde el renacimiento del formato. Lo escucho ahora y suena a un clásico. Cuando salió resaltaba mucho del resto, un throwback, un ejercicio de nostalgia, no tan diferente si lo piensan, de The White Stripes o cosas por el estilo. Esto último no es ninguna crítica negativa. Pero la diferencia con otros ejercicios revivaleros de soul aquí el talento y la tragedia personal resltan. Pero me quedo con el talento y la voz, ¿gran voz, no? Parte de la educación sentimental de muchos, supongo. Fue parte de la mía. Back to black, la canción, is some heavy shit. Se siente real. Lloré mucho con esa rola, no por lo que trata, sino por la forma en que canta Back to black, verga. Me mata eso. Qué ganas de irse a la mierda dan a veces. ¿Solo yo? Amy me comprende.

The compositions and arrangements can be pretty nice, albeit it's all a rather arch act of graverobbing. 'You Know I'm No Good' and 'Back To Black' are fine songs, despite their ubiquity in the 2000s. However, Al Jolson himself would blush (one would guess) at those fucking vocals. What was going on?! 'Rehab' is a terrible piece of music.

There are songs on this album that absolutely make you understand why Amy winehouse is an icon such a limited career. It's impossible to listen to it without knowing how it all turns out

So “Back To Black” by Amy Winehouse was one of those “captured lightning in a bottle” albums IMO… It is one of those efforts where everything just came together to fit together so perfectly, and the result was an absolutely exceptional album… The combination of Amy’s amazing song writing (i.e. Amy genuinely sharing her autobiographical anguish and vulnerabilities related to a challenging relationship and her mental illness and substance abuse issues…), a unique and perfect musical style as a backdrop for those songs, and her emotional vocal delivery, was one of those rare recipe’s that was likely never to be repeated… “Rehab” & “Back To Black” are clearly the best tracks IMO, but there is not a throwaway track on the album – although the last song “Addicted” is probably the weakest lyrically – though it is genuine… The raw emotion that comes through on this album, both the lyrically and via her vocal delivery, is definitely the highlight of the album… When this album came out, no one had recorded that style of 60’s “pop and soul” music in over 40 years, so it sounded incredibly fresh and unique in 2006 – which made it easy for the album to stand out, and then the lyrics, vocals, and the picture that was painted did the rest of the work… Also pretty eerie to have such an amazing album laying all of this out in advance of her untimely demise a few years later… For the uniqueness of the musical backdrop for these songs, along with the raw and genuine lyrics – combined with the perfect emotional vocal delivery, lead to a perfect “imperfect” album in my eyes – and one of the rare 5’s that I give out…

Loved this album! I used to live in an apartment and my upstairs neighbour was a huge coke head. Whenever we went into a coke rage I would press my speakers up to the ceiling and blast “Rehab”. Nice to hear it again!

Anything I heard between ages 16-24 probably has an advantage over the others due to subconscious bias - this album included. With that caveat, I think this album is a stunner. It also is immortalized by her untimely death, and makes the songs that much more potent. And what a voice! Really love the instrumentation on the album too.

Songs I liked Rehab You know i'm no good Tears dry on their own He can only hold her

Just dynamite overall. What a talent. And such splendid "fuckery." How much one would have liked to see her career evolve, and if stability/sobriety might have had a salubrious effect. Janis Jopin is the obvious comp, though one might prefer AW. She sells every song convincingly, infusing every note with considerable soul and almost unbearable pathos in some places (because we know how it all ended). The opener is great, of course, as are "Me and Mr. Jones" and "Love Is a Losing Game." Hey editors: AW is not and never was a jazz singer and these aren't jazz songs (have at most a jazz aspect, and a pop-jazz one at that), though on some cuts her vocal style could accurately (if not precisely so) be described as jazzy. She's a soul / R&B / pop singer.

This album was on in the background everywhere I went in the late 2000s but I never realised how short it is (35 mins). It's pretty good but it's strange that the production and that Mark Ronson sound feels a bit dated when they were trying to make an old school sounding album. The 'Amy' documentary is one of the saddest things I've ever watched.

"What kind of fuckery is this?" Its.... Amy Winehouse. IMO- people made such a big deal out of her and her character for absolutely no fucking reason, and it's a pretty highly rated album on this website, so maybe I'm missing something, but I absolutely despise "Rehab," it feels very artificial and most of the rest of the tracks off the album feel as if they offered very little that was musically interesting to me. That being said, while I was actively wishing the album to end, the title track, "Back to Black" came on, and I found myself turning up the volume and eagerly awaiting the next hook. Good track, it will be on the playlist. Despite the star track, I can't justify a rating higher than.. 2/5

So many 5 star reviews and I just don't get it. Her voice is good. But there are a million people with great voices. The music fine and sounds old without all the cruft that comes with old music. Which I think is fine. But this is really not special in any way. It's a record made by producers for a singer with an alcohol problem.

I loved this. I've always liked Motown era/style tunes and this is very similar but with modern production (I can hear the individual drums!). I never paid this much mind when it was released (not metal 👿) but this is going into heavy rotation going forward.

Great voice, great lyrics, great tunes. 'Nuff said.

Not sure if I’ve ever sat down and appreciated this as an album. Can’t believe so many good tracks are on one record. A masterpiece, really. Imagine what she’d have done next.

Absolutely beautiful singing, intricit storytelling, and masterful themes throughout, it really feels like Amy put her whole soul into this project. Such a tragic story, love is a losing game.

Obožavam

3 - Back to Black (2006) - 9/10 Amy Winehouse Wednesday 1st December 1. Rehab - 9/10 ⭐️ 2. You Know I’m No Good - 9/10 ⭐️ 3. Me & Mr Jones - 8.5/10 4. Just Friends - 8.5/10 5. Back to Black - 9.5/10 ⭐️ 6. Love Is a Losing Game - 8.5/10 7. Tears Dry on their Own - 9.5/10 ⭐️ 8. Wake Up Alone - 8/10 9. Some Unholy War - 8/10 10. He Can Only Hold Her - 8/10 11. Addicted - 7.5/10

More like Amy Whine-house, right? Probably should have gone to rehab.

Such a beautiful voice. It's sad to see someone with this much potential to just go how she did. There are so many big hits on this album. I definitely agree that she walked so Adele could run.

Torch songs for the Tinder era.

Is it good? Who knows? It's sort of like discussing whether Homer's Odyssey is good. Feels a little overproduced, but buried underneath is a pure soul in torment. I've never been a huge fan of throwback music.

Never been a Fan of Nirvana. This unplugged record is OK, though.

The well-known songs - Rehab, Back to Black, a couple whose names I never learned - have kept their hooks in my memory, proof of Winehouse’s chops as this is of the aimless movement of movements that mark its era, artists that called back to greats with pantomime. In trying to sound both old and modern, the production has the chintzy artificiality of a badly retouched photo, Vanilla Ice pasted into the Yalta Conference. Back to the Future did it better. Amy Winehouse was smart and witty with a jet plane voice that can still ambush with lines that shiv. Early on she appeared on a kid’s show play-acting in a butchers: “I always wanted to work with meat!” I immediately liked her, though not the music. She was treated disgracefully in ways that were obvious at the time and this record heralds trauma with a vuvuzela.

The album vibe is not really for me; favourite track is probably the titular one

Never understood the hype. Edgy lyrics & nice voice, Just not for me RIP.

I can appreciate that this album was groundbreaking, in a way. And, that Amy Winehouse had a really great voice. I still didn't like this though. It just feels, narcissistic? Manufactured? I cant quite place it, but off, somehow.

Music for insufferable women

This is horrible - hate her voice and the shitty mock-60's production. I left the UK before her heyday, fortunately, so didn't quite know what to expect but got something even worse than her debut we were forced through a while ago. Mercifully brief, it appears the inspiration for this nonsense was the Artful Dodger from a borstal production of "Oliver!", which seems fitting.

Should have gone to rehab.

An album already in my regular rotation.

Winehouse’s vocals are phenomenal and the instrumentals match them perfectly. The short runtime only makes me want to listen to more from her.

I love this album and have given it many listens over the years (and sung 'You know I'm no good' and 'Back to Black' a fair few times in the shower!). Some of the tracks feel a little overproduced - but there is no denying the honesty and raw pain in her lyrics, the power of her vocals and the impact her work had on music at the time. Amy was so talented, so open to sharing her vulnerability in her work, and so messed up by addiction, fame and the machine of the music industry - I can't help but wonder what her life could have been if she'd been able to conquer her demons or had better support from the people who should have been there for her. Vale Amy I told you I was trouble - You know I'm no good

Great album, lots of drama behind the lyrics... an iconic voice

Me gustó mucho y por lo que la vida le dió, la seguí mientras pude, pero abruptamente terminó y su fin trunco a los fans de su voz privilegiada. Este álbum es excelente

Back to Black is the second and final studio album by Amy Winehouse, originally released in 2006. Amy took to influences from classic American music such as 60s soul and funk for this record. There's definitely a heavy Motown and Stax vibe to this. Having the Dap-Kings as the backing band definitely contributed to this. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with then-ex-boyfriend and future husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who temporarily left her to pursue his previous ex-girlfriend. Their short-lived separation spurred her to create an album that explores themes of guilt, grief, infidelity, heartbreak and trauma in a relationship. This combined with the old-school girl group sound made this record extremely engaging and pretty much the perfect pop record. You've got slower ballads such as "Love is a Losing Game", to the ska-flavored track "Just Friends" and even a boom-bap hip-hop style track "He Can Only Hold Her". Just overall an amazing record. Every song is a banger.

Exceptional pop, need to listen more

In hindsight this is a gimmicky album, at least the production is. Despite this, it's a rare no skips record. It's bananas to think about what Amy could've accomplished if she'd achieved sobriety. She was a genius and that's evident in every breath she took on this album.

I like this more than I realized before. Really like it, but idk how often I would listen to this tbh. 4.6/5

10/10

Beautiful album with great singles. Not sure I would listen to it all in one go often but I loved listening to it now. 5

Great listen, knowing her tragic end sone songs feel even sadder

Ah, great voice. A throwback. Good music to fit, kind of Budos Band-ish on track 2. Doowop on other songs. This is a really groovy album. Not much needs to be said about it. I give this a 5, because I don't hear a weak point.

I didn’t care at the time, but yeah, that album slaps. I get it now.

Excellent album. I actually found myself liking "Frank" more for being so raw, but this album has bangers all around. Excellent vocals and instrumentals. 'He Can Only Hold Her' wins my fave.

Burn hot and bright, Amy.

Smashing

Amy Winehouse is a legend an icon…love her music

# Album Name: Back to Black # Artist: Amy Winehouse # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: This album starts out with an absolute cracker. Rehab. Quite fitting for Amy but this is a terrific song. Amys voice on this album is absolutely top notch imo. Its very distinct but feels as old as time. The bluesy / swing / soul feel suits her voice down to the ground. Amy would have been a true great i reckon. # Top Tunes: Rehab / You know im no good / back to black / tears dry on their own / Mr Jones # Would I listen to it again? Definitely. Great album.

So fucking beautiful. 🖤

If you wanna talk about motown and soul revival. Ms. Winehouse recaptured the worlds attention to the sound with much neccessary updating on the lyrical emphasis of subject matter. No longer is the subject of soul the heartbreak along; it can be disgust, shame, confusion, failure to see personal faults. She was a trailblazer for that, and a powerful woman who happened to only be stunted by addiction. This album is the phenomenonal produced follow up to the "Frank" debut. Which captured hearts and minds with its soulful tendancies. This album by metamorphosis EXPLODED with homage to old school R&B and Soul with a mix of jazz and cabaret influence. I absolutely would die without this album. I got so many fond memories and smoking out my 2006 Volkswagen with my buddy before going into work at starbucks.

Gigantisk producer upgrade fra hendes første album, hele det her album lyder mega godt. Jeg kunne godt huske singlerne - alle bangers - men album tracks var også bedre end jeg huskede de var

my goodness. rest in peace amy

I miss her :(

It's beautiful...I don't know what else to say...I like it. It's so well written and well produced, and she can sing! Very Entertaining. I don't usually listen to soul or R&B, so I can only imagine how enjoyable this would be for those who are into this type of music.

Already know this and THIS is one of my favs!!

Sensational album

One of those records that catches a moment where, maybe not all, but a lot of stars suddenly align. Amy's voice and where she was at in her career (and, in a sadder way, life trajectory, see for instance Rehab). Mark Ronson as a producer. The Dap-Kings as a backing band. They'd all been around and they'd all go on to do other things (except for Amy obviously) but here it catches all of them not necessarily at their best but at their most hungry and exciting. It might be strange to say but this retro thing sounded new and fresh back then and nobody did it better than Amy does here.

Starting to accept that some of my ratings are too high; this feels like a true 5 though

Love - except several explicig

This starts with back to back absolute bangers. She was such a treasure and so brilliant at translating her pain into her work. Effortlessly soulful and gorgeous. Miss her very much.

Kyllä tämä on upea. Harvoin vaan päätyy levylautaselle kun aikoinaan tuli kuunneltua niin roimasti. 5/5

Massive talent

# Playlist track - Tears Dry On Their Own # Notes - Amy's vocals are absolutely brilliant. She sings with a very rare combination of talent, technique and emotion that is in full display on this album. - The band follows dutifully. She is supported by amazing instrumentals and production. - Just learned that Mark Ronson has his hand in the production of the album. That makes a lot of sense. - I remember listening to it back when it was released, and you couldn't go to any parties without "Rehab" being played twice. Re-listening again, it's impossible not to get a little bit sad about her tragic life and all the sadness that fueled these amazing songs.

Amy Winehouse looks and sounds like Marty McFly brought Amy back to the future from the 1950s and asked her to write an album about how she's getting on. Expertly produced by Mark Ronson this album just leaves listeners wondering how much better she could have gotten. - Not a lot else you can say, this is an album that everyone should definitely listen to at some point in their lives. - ⚠️ avoid the film though; it's terrible!

Wow, so much emotion packed into this short, powerful record. Would have been great to see what else she could have done.

Easy 5. What an exceptional album, with so much packed in 35 minutes. It came out 18 years ago and sounds like it could have come out in 1965 or yesterday. Mark Ronson's production is fantastic and Amy's voice is just phenomenal throughout the whole album. There's something here for everyone and it is just an absolute tragedy that we did not get more music from her.

FIVE FIVE FIVE FIVE FIVE

Pre-listening thoughts: bro this album is absolutely STACKED with a lot of Amys hits. Rest in peace queen 🙏🙏 Post/during listening thoughts: I mean what else is there to say. Her voice is so timeless and these songs are so phenomenal. If this isn’t an instant 5 stars for you I feel sorry for you. 10/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: bro yes and everyone should Fav tracks: every song Least fav tracks:

Never heard the whole album. Definitely relistenable

ms winehouse the icon you will always be

It seems like it can’t be real how amazing she is. It doesn’t feel right to really rock out to this - especially that opener - given we know now how rough the seas this ship was sailing in were, but there’s no denying this is truly great.

Just when I was about to give up on music Amy reappeared in my life with this album which I consider to be one of the top 3 in the of the 2010 if not the best album in the past 15 years. An autobiographical call for help that everyone listened and couldnt do anything to save her. Insane lyrics, masterful arrangements and musicians. This is a perfect album

Great album. One of the few I think is too short. I don't know much about her, but she seemed to have been in a lot of pain while she was here. We lost a talented person when she left. Thoroughly enjoyed listening.

Amazing Amy!

To fully bare the existential nature of life in a jazz/r n b/pop album with a voice that surely knows the content matter. Has lived on and between every note. My god, this album is mastery.

Stone cold classic

A cool modern twist on older soul artists, really full sounds and something musically different to take away from each track

a genuine icon

What a voice. What lyrics. What a mood this creates. How absolutely authentic. One of the true greats. Always makes me a bit sad listening to Amy - she was so genuine, and therefore so fragile. Amazing.

This is undeniably great. Retro but modern, brash yet tender, strong but fragile, desperate but uplifting. Full of character and emotion, rooted in her situation. Everyone talks about her voice but her songs are fantastic; full of brilliant words, tunes and hooks. The band, arrangements and production are perfect... Mark Ronson 👏 The title track is amazing. I love the changes of pace, and the melody lifting into the chorus... 'We only said goodbye with words....' only to fall back into sad but beautiful darkness again. 'You know I'm no good' was the first song of hers I heard, on the radio driving to work 17 years ago. It jumped out of the speakers and still does, what a groove! 'Love is a Losing Game' is timeless. I don't know the second side as well but it all stands up, especially 'Wake Up Alone' and 'He Can Only Hold Her'. Her love of classic soul and jazz is obvious but this is so original and contemporary. She was a precious talent and it's just so sad.

It’s a classic for good reason! Although often reflecting sounds of the past the album doesn’t come across like a cheap imitation in the slightest. Some of the lyrical passages are just awesome, and pairing that with her unique delivery makes for something that will always unmistakably be Amy Winehouse. I do find it amazing how with just this one album she was forever cemented as a musical legend (I know she had one or two others but this was THE album). Sometimes, 2 sides of a record is all someone needs to make their mark forever. ‘Love Is A Losing Game’ is always one I think of when discussing Amy Winehouse but I forgot how good ‘Back To Black’ really is! Whoa! ‘Wake Up Alone’ also stood out on the back end and stopped this from slipping to a 4 for me.

I was already familiar with Amy Winehouse and this album, as I think most people who grew up in Britain in the early 2000s are. She really was incredible. What I picked up from properly listening to this album on headphones is just how beautifully it was produced. Each sound and instrument was perfectly selected to create a wonderful mood and to support Amy’s fantastic vocals and lyrics. Goosebumps, multiple times, even on the tracks I’ve heard hundreds of times before. Rest in peace Amy Winehouse. She was a star.

Fucking amazing

Undeniable

Amazing; such a true and heartfelt album.

Album 550 of 1001 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006) Rating : 5 / 5 Awesome album from the beginning to the end. A classic from a truly unique artist. One of the few for which I can actually say it was a true pleasure to enjoy..

LOVE!!!!!!!