Despite being an Ivor Novello award winner, Mercury Music Prize and Brit nominee, Amy Winehouse is perhaps best known for sticking the verbal dagger into the hearts of her pop peers.
Indeed, the north London singer songwriter would probably give the Sheriff of Nottingham’s potty mouthed sprog Lily Allen a run for her money, having claimed the scalp of the queen of pop Madonna (“old has been”), Coldplay’s Chris Martin (“boring”) and sensitive balladeer Dido (“kids listening to Dido thinking ‘I want to be like her’ make me want to vomit”).
However, in stark contrast to Allen, such low level publicity tactics are entirely unnecessary – as evidenced by her critically acclaimed debut album Frank, which was a sensational mix of soul jazz and street smarts, Winehouse’s music can quite easily speak for itself.
And her new single ‘Rehab’ intends to do just that. It’s the first to be plucked from her forthcoming sophomore album Back to Black, which sees her collaborating once again with producer Salaam Remi and, for the first time, New York man Mark Ronson (Christina Aguilera, Robbie Williams).
They say:
Digital Spy: “A clever, stylish track that flies high above its competition.”
Contactmusic: “While the track won’t be to everyone’s liking, it is certainly a decent song.”
We say:
“Try to make me go to rehab,” Winehouse sings, alluding to her real life father’s plea for her to seek help for depression and an alcohol dependency in the aftermath of her messy break up with her boyfriend.
But Winehouse ain’t no damsel in distress, nor is she a pop cliché who has the number of the Priory on speed dial.
“I say no, no, no,” she hollers defiantly in a voice that is part Aretha Franklin, part Billie Holiday, opting to kick the blues and any troublesome habits on her own time following an unproductive meeting with a therapist.
And in a dramatic shift from the coarse jazz inflected norm, the music here is much more akin to ‘60s girl group soul, all gospel stomp and frivolous horns, which suits the singer’s chic yet curiously sleazy vocal delivery down to the ground. The result is surely one of the strongest singles of the year.
Like this? Try these:
Shirley Ellis – Soul Time
Billie Holiday – Sweet and Mellow
RELEASED
Out now
LABEL
Island
POSTED...
Fri 20 Oct 2006 at 12:10pm
