Thursday, September 13, 2007

ONCE IN LOVE WITH AMY

Can anyone save Amy Winehouse?
It's a question I ask myself at least once a day.
I, for one, certainly hope someone can.... to a certain extent anyway.
After being introduced to this Brit "retro-soul" singer on a back porch in Burlington, Vermont, I admit to falling in love with this gravely-voiced singer/songwriter. I rarely listen to Pop Radio, so I haven't been as inundated with "Rehab" as other more "serious" on-line aficionado. But if it is being played to death, it's because it IS catchy; the hook is GREAT!! I find it interesting to see an artist embrace her addictions so blatantly. Bad habits and love gone bad have been themes of popular music for quite sometime, but I'm not familiar with anyone confronting that total image of self-loathing that the addict has quite like her.
I like "Rehab" a lot (I love singing it while grocery shopping), but what I really respond to on the album are the riffs and licks from soul and R&B hits from the 50's and 60's. "Back to Black" has a wonderful minor riff on the driving chords of The Supremes' "Baby Love". The driving rhythm of "My Tears Dry On Their Own" derives itself from the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". What's not to love?
Besides the Motown sound, I love the influences of a variety of soul sounds: those Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" chimes, early Etta James rockin' blues, Dusty Springfield lushness on "Love is a Losing Game". This songs transports me to some morbid senior prom where the boys finally get to slow dance with their dates, as Amy chastises the girls about what it all leads to!
I wish there were more string arrangements on the album, like those found on "Love is a Losing Game". "Just Friends", with its funky-reggae rhythm seems misplaced with the singer and its lyrics. Here she swoops through her pain and insecurity like a young Aretha Franklin in her Columbia record period; I think it would be sensational with a quieter arrangement with more strings. It would push the remorse of the song up to the front.
Let's hope that after Amy resurfaces, rehabbed or not, that she's still able to channel her emotions into more soulful serenades. I see her debut album "Frank" is being released soon here in the States. Does the title refer to "Old Blue Eyes"? Hard drinking, smoking, emotional "screw-it-all" Rat Packers are few and far between these days. But does anyone really notice that void these days? or care?
Let's just hope a lot of her recent "negative press" is just silly media hype! After all, she's brought to use by Universal Music, the same folks who released Kanye West's and Fifty Cent's new "rock'em - sock'em" records on September 11, 2007! Who got paid for that idea?

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