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.

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.

“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

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.

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..

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).

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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

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.

"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

I bought this album when it was released but hadn’t listened to it in full for a long time. It’s really held up - what a talent and what a loss.

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

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!

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.

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

Music for insufferable women

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty perfect. I don't see anything wrong with emulating the sounds of the 50s and 60s, if that's the music you love. Amy was a gifted songwriter, musically, and, to my mind, her lyrics are timeless, yet also position the songs firmly in the modern era: the trials, temptations and flaws of a 21st century London girl, expressed with authenticity and humour. Credit to the producers on the album for letting her tell her stories relatively simply. I just wish the album didn't make me so sad, at the fact that she died so young. At least she'd been much-lauded in her lifetime.

Such a strong album all the way through - great lyrics, powerful voice, unique sound. Love it.

Great music. Legendary singer. Tragically missed.

i dunno. it's hard to look at something so incredible and great marred by the tragedy of reality. i can't be objective. you can't separate what the songs are about from what ended up hurting her the most; it's what they're about. like, i don't really care whatsoever about British Music Press Squabble, but Amy Winehouse was bigger than NME and The Sun; people cared about her here. even my mom, who relished in celebrity gossip in the days of TMZ on DVR, who saw celebrities as morons with too much money and hypocritical drug habits, was noticeably upset when she died. she wasn't surprised. nobody really was. i guess we all were just hoping she'd pull through. i don't think i hate a single song on Back to Black. it has weak songs, yeah, but they're weak in comparison to the title track, or "You Know I'm No Good" or "Tears Dry on Their Own". it's unfair competition. that's like putting a regular guy who could lift you up above his head and throw you across the gym against, like, a Greek god. you're putting a mortal against an immortal in this instance, but the mortal could probably wipe the floor with any of his fellow Homo sapiens and not even break a sweat. you can't fault a human being for having bones and blood and physical limitations. i don't think there is a single thing wrong with the album. it all works, and everything that doesn't work probably comes down to preference. i LIKE that her voice clips in the production: it makes it sound dirtier, more raw and off-the-cuff. it clashes against the strings and the world's tightest horn section, like flashes of lightning in a swirling, cloudy sky. and even if i didn't like that sound, the songs are there. i think you gotta try to hate Back to Black. like, put the hours in. that's not to say you couldn't have a good reason to hate the thing. you could be a cynic. you could say that it set us up for the brutal musical junta of Meghan Trainor, and that the bawdiness of a British outsider singing swears over one of the most timeless slices of soul in American history borders on sacrilege. however, i don't think she saw it that way. i think she (and Mark Ronson) saw it as a combination of what soul was at the time and what it was when it began. would The Supremes have sung about a lost lover with the words "kept his dick wet / with the same old safe bet" had the culture been more permissive? who knows. i'd like to think that if airplay were no object, we'd have a lot of Motown singles where the gist and/or lyrics of the song are "Berry Gordy, go fuck yourself". Back to Black is a heartbreaker, a love letter, a dirty joke told between drunk friends, and an occasional diary, a message from one person hurting to the millions after. you can't live in the past. but maybe it can keep you warm for a little while.

'You made me miss the Slick Rick gig.' This brilliant album (and artist) is a cultural and musical amalgamation you rarely get - a jazz vocalist with r&b perceptiveness laced with footnotes to hip hop. And a voice as seductive and creative as the things she sings about, aspires to. Honest, something special.

So fucking beautiful. 🖤

Comforting music from someone I believe has gone through the pain. Very touching and catchy.

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.

I am a big fan of 60s soul and girl groups, so this album really clicked with me as soon as I heard it. Bought it, loved it all the way through. It has a real throwback sound to it, that really appeals to me. Her songwriting is totally within the tradition, and yet has a contemporary directness that makes this far more than a pastiche or homage. It is new, fresh art within the genre. Much has been written about her voice. Her phrasing is exquisite, and there is a lived-in authenticity that you can't fake; you can feel the credibility to every word on this album. It can get pretty dark, and there is a lot of pain there, but the album is also quite fun. It is tragic that the authenticity of this album shows us a person in quite a lot of pain with some really problematic addiction issues, and we know where that eventually led Amy. I was massively upset by the Amy documentary; that poor girl was doomed. Her family was clearly problematic, and her talent attracted people who were supportive but unable to help, or others who were much more exploitative. And that arsehole husband was the nail in the coffin. She turned her life into art, but the success just made things worse, and ultimately was a road she could not turn back. I mourn for Amy Winehouse the human being, and also for all the records she could have produced if she had lived. This one perfect record from Amy Winehouse is a dead-set classic. All killer, no filler. It is a regular in my DJ sets. When friends start collecting vinyl, this is the album I buy for them. Every home should have a copy. Eleventy-million out of five.

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.

You sometimes forget or take for granted certain songs and how good they actually are because you have heard them to death. Rehab was one, whilst never my favourite track, listening after a few years without hearing it on the radio makes it sound fresh again and an amazing start to the album. Me and Mr Jones is superb but the album really hits a heartbreaking high with Back to Black. Tears Dry on Their Own is incredible. A great listen on a grey, damp Tuesday morning after the Easter break.

It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the depth of the loss, of losing Amy Winehouse at just 27 years old. An utterly unique voice coupled with her peerless tribute and updating of ‘60’s style. Some of these songs, like the title song, sound like classics that have always been here. I wish we had more of her.

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.

I'm not as into Amy Winehouse as a lot of people seem to be, but I can recognize her obvious talent.

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.

RIP sultry queen.

Even when it came out and before her untimely death, this album had the feel of an instant classic. A few years down the road, and it definitely is just that.

A true five through and through. Miss you Amy!!

Love Amy Winehouse. I’ve heard this album a couple times, and it is great. I love her voice.

A masterpiece

Aivan vitun timanttia

Steller. It's a shame how the industry treated this woman and how she treated herself. But damn if this isn't a generational classic.

God her voice is so so good. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Such an emotive voice and excellent production.

A true masterpiece

Member of the 27 club, heiress to the A&W Rootbeer fortune, and one of the greatest voices of her generation. This album sounds like it came from a different era. Amazing. 5

This is one of my all-time fav albums.

Amazing. Soulful, sad, and doing her best

Perfection

wonderful album, gone way too soon.

Snoepen, eeuwig gemis dat er meer had kunnen zijn geweest

Elk nummer een echte banger

LEGENDARY. Maybe top 10 albums of all time

I remember, a week before my 11th birthday, laying in bed at night in my maternal grandparents' house when my (then 76) nanna came into the spare room to tell my (then 41) mum that Amy Winehouse died. This meant nothing to me then, like when somebody on my primary school playground told me Michael Jackson died when I was 8, nearly 9. My earliest musical memories are of mid-2000s rock like Mr Brightside by the Killers, American Idiot by Green Day and Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs. While my grandad's music taste was quite eclectic before he lost his hearing and the ability to get out of his chair unassisted, I think my nanna was mainly interested in Amy Winehouse's death because she read the Daily Mail every day and Winehouse was a tabloid phenomenon. I have too many both positive and negative associations with this music before ever voluntarily listening to an Amy Winehouse album to rate it objectively. I'm going to give it 5 stars. I think I always did like it, and loved listening to it today.

AMAZING rest in peace, Amy

We always said goodbye with words

First of the albums i rate that i knew more than 3 songs. What an album. Amy’s voice is so captivating, the instrumental is amazing and every tiny detail brings so much to the songs. I could listen to this album on repeat.

Every song was top tier, I could feel the meaning behind the songs and the lyrics were well chosen to deliver her message. Far too many 5/5 songs to be anything less than a 5 star album

Brilliant album

Ich bin voreingenommen, aber es ist so gut. Vor allem die ersten drei Lieder

Love amy <3

Ja duh

Frábær plata. Ein af þessum stóru 00' plötum sem verður bara betri með hverju árinu. Amy var margt en hún var sérstaklega real.

Always loved her soulful vocals

What a tragedy. Not my type of music, but its bloody marvellous.

What a shame she couldn’t get her life under control. She had an incredible and unique voice. The production in this album, in particular the recreation of that 60s sound, is impeccable.

i’m back for this one! hey y’all. nothing to say about this. RIP

I could listen to this a million times and never tire of it.

A wonderful album where Amy puts her full pain and darkness on display, and leaves everything on the table for the listener to hear. A true tapestry of what it means to be an addict, and in a small digestable package to boot. Musically Amy's vocals are unmatched and she pours her heart out with every note. One of my favorite albums of all time.

Damn good! Love the old school arrangements and drums almost as much as Amy’s incredible vocals.

Back to Black was the second and final studio album from Amy Winehouse, the British soul singer who died very young due to issues related to alcohol abuse. She recorded in a style reminiscent of 60s soul and R&B singers, and prompted a resurgence in British soul in the aughts and 2010s. The album won five Grammy awards, including Pop Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Rehab." (won a production Grammy, as well). This is a great album, highlighting Winehouse's incredible voice. Her songs were inspired by a broken relationship, and earned Winehouse praise for her songwriting. The album is mythologized, in a way, for her tragically short life, and the dark irony of her hit song, "Rehab."

9/10

Oh, Amy. I knew this one would show up. This album has strongly resonated with me since its debut. Her struggles, her strides, and her soul all bared throughout. My mother raised me on Soul and Motown music and when this record came out, I was immediately transported back to my youth and reminded of how much I love this style; Amy only further emphasized that. She captivates with her distinct voice, lyrics, and composition. She captures a variety of emotions - those that uplift us and make our feet move, to those that make us somber and reflective on our lives and lives of others we know. She carries essences of Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross, among others, but she is and always will be Amy Winehouse. I never knew her personally, but I miss her dearly. Love you, Amy! Favorites: All of them, but "Wake Up Alone" and "Back to Black" really hit home for me.

I still love this album almost 20 years later. The album is a "no skips" album until the last two or three songs. I enjoy them, but I think Wake Up Alone would have been a good closer.

I loved the album. Fantastic voice! Soulful, passionate! My favorite one was Back to Black.

so good. RIP

Masterpiece of course

One of my favourites. I think my favourite one of hers 10/10

banger after banger agfter banger after banger after banger after banger bad bitch fr

Classic

One of the best albums of the 2000s and possibly the best jazz/rock fusion since Steely Dan. Frankly, it's better than Steely Dan because of the rich helping of Stax soul. We were all lucky to have Amy, if only for a short time.

Although I don't like Rehab that much, the rest of the album is pretty much all bangers. Me And Mr. Jones, Love Is A Losing Game and Back To Black are some of my all time favorite songs and this album just all around rules