This is a great CD. I received it over a year ago and still listen to it. What makes this CD all the more interesting is the troubles that Amy is going through. When I first got the CD as a gift, I didn't know who she was or what she was about. But as soon as I heard the first few notes from her voice...WOW! She is incredible!

Unfortunately, Amy is going through a lot of issues. When a singer goes through what she is, most people want to toss the CD aside and figure, "yeah, I ripped it for my iPod, it'll go to craigslist soon." But with this CD, you want to keep it. You want to listen to it; not for messages or any of that psychology stuff, but because it may truly be the last real recording she does. And even if it isn't, the music is fantastic. Don't ignore this, it's a classic sound brought into the modern day.

I have recently discovered Amy. Yes, she's in the tabloids and I've heard of her, but I've recently discovered her MUSIC.
The first thought that I had when I heard the title song, "Back to Black," was, "That sounds like an old Motown song from around 1967!" This whole disc has that old school sound, and to tell you the truth, I was impressed by the rhythm section and how they laid down a stone cold groove. The next thing I noticed was Amy's voice, and how much she sounded like one of the old time singers. You can tell that she's studied and learned to emulate not only the Motown sound but also reaches much further back into original Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, and Blues. "Me and Mr. Jones" is a prime example of this; the background singers' vocal harmony is reminiscent of a style popular in the 1930's and through the 40's.
I was blown away by Amy's voice. Not only does she have great power, but also has fantastic control. Some of her vocal acrobatics really are top notch, without being too showy. She can sing an entire lifetime of grief, loss, and desire into one phrase. Raw emotion comes through in songs like, "Love is a Losing Game," and "You Know I'm No Good."
Having retroactively listened to some of "Frank," I would say that her songwriting skills really improved on "Back To Black." There's not a bad song on this disc, and these days, that's saying something. I highly recommend this CD to anyone that's open to listening some some old school music, with a touch of some modern naughtiness.

What a wonderful CD. I absolutely adore Amy Winehouse's voice. Her songs have so much meaning (although a bit brutal at times...hmmmm like life is I guess). If you love jazz, then you will LOVE this CD. I cannot wait until she writes more songs. All of her songs are so heartfelt...you can almost FEEL the pain and emotion coming from her. You will NOT be sorry when you purchase her songs and her DVD "Live from London".

There's no hiding the anguish Amy Winehouse must suffer as evidenced in most the music on this album. Brilliant lyrics and a mature powerful voice. I have the earworm problem after listening, can't get her music and lyrics out of my head. I hope she lives long enough to explore and expand her talent. She's so young, she should have at least a decade left to create, but the drug thing....it's a crap shoot. Oh, I love her music by the way.

Only three real good songs on this record, but we`ve heard them all before. This is nothing new, the entire record is kind of a Motown soul replica, and could have been made back in the early 70`s.

Amy has a cool voice though, and the lyrics aren`t too bad, but the production quality is so unimaginably crappy you couldn`t believe it. The bass are boomy, there are distortions in Amy`s voice, and the arrangements all over are poor and monotonous. Therefore it gets more and more boring to listen to this record after a while. The production crew should have been punished for this.. Better luck next time!

Amy's first CD is still great, may the best of the few she has released.

I like her soulful trashy, gypsy sound. Like a drunk Etta James, Shirley Bassey or a really trashed Aretha! Yes, the vocal inflection is overdone and a bit grating. But even some of the singers she seems to be trying to channel were overdoing it too. After a few listens, I found that her phrasing was just perfect on several songs. A super singer-composer. I would prefer this music played with a real band: the cheesy rhythm section on some of the tracks is weak. She sdeserves better than those awful, overdone beat-boxes used on all the "R'n'B" stuff nowadays. The horns sound okay but the production needs work.

Amy Winehouse Back to Black CD is Excellent a given 5 stars.
Amy Winehouse in my opinion has a marvelous gifted talent.
Amy Winehouse reminds me of the old jazz and blues singers.
I am hoping that Amy Winehouse will have many years of good health and happiness ahead of her to continue providing the public with her gifted talents.
This Back to Black CD shows the range of Ms. Winehouse's talents. It brings you to intimate jazz or blues clubs with that special someone.
Thank you Ms. Winehouse and please provide us with many years of listening to your gifts.

If you read my other reviews one thing should become very clear:
I'm 100% old school...
500 reviews on Amazon, and its rare for me to purchase or review anything made after the late '70s...
and for a really good reason: I think American music lost its vibe and groove with the advent of drum machines and digital music...
Great talent has emerged, but to me we've yet to escape the musical cheesiness of the '80s...
an era where BIG and FAT went out...
Then along came AMY...

True, this album is RETRO... and Amy is not the first pop star to get big doing the retro thing (- - think B-52s, Brand New Heavies, Brian Setzer) however, I think Amy Winehouse is the first to really pay homage to the era in a convincing way... the music has an authentically convincing "back then" sound... yet at the same time... the attitude is truly NOW(!) Winehouse has a voice that is a total throwback to the Pop and R&B divas of the '50s and 60's... but a persona perfectly fit for today's TV/tabloid generation...
in addition, her lyrics are engaging too... (A certain line in "Me and Mr. Jones" has just been entered into my book of all time classic lines... Even though its Amy Winehouse, every time I hear it I go, "Did she just say that???")

As for the album, as mentioned it is throwback to the sounds of '60s/'70s AM hit radio...
but its done convincingly...
Amy Winehouse has a voice that's thick and elastic... Sort of Bette Midler attitude... but Della Reese/Dinah Washington delivery...
with a hip hop mindset... which when juxtaposed with the old Girl Group Pop sound, definitely make an interesting listen. - - In addition, you can listen to the music with a magnifying glass, and more and more "substance beneath the surface" becomes clear about her deep understanding of the roots of the music and her ability to express it in her own way. Further, another strong point about the album that amazes me is that its a "straight through" listen... not just one hit and a bunch of fillers (as Phil Spector used to complain), but a whole album that's strong from start to finish... (also a gem of really great production and engineering to an extent that hasn't been heard in popular music for many many years!)
Of note: If your idea of SOUL does NOT include the "Mariah" influence, you'll particular dig her singing...
(I'm not trying to put down Mariah, but after 20 years, enough Mariah and Madonna already!)

Of course, there is one problem: her public image.
Let's not be fooled... the words "disgusting" come to mind... however, I sometimes wondering if its possible that she has a publicist who simply watched THE ROSE one time too many.. and is simply using shock tactics to market her... (I would really like to believe this as opposed to believing that she's yet another great talent on the road to self destruct.)
Actually watching videos on YOU TUBE, she seems a lot more together than many of the critics would have you believe and she definitely has an act that works...
the bands kinda dress throwback and she has the beehive... but then the tattoos, the piercings and the occasional obscenities... and subtle stuff the back up dancers do let you know she's a girl of this era... ultimately her attitude makes the music convincing as music that DOES indeed belong on the charts.
in addition the band, arrangements and engineering are really convincing... some of the tunes do drag on a bit and lack dramatic build, however, this is nitpicking... it has been a long time since an artist has managed to present such tightly arranged and structured music to the listening public.
fact is this:
Someone has finally come along to save modern music...
her public image might be hard to stomach... however, fact is:
Music is back...

The vinyl was not correctly packed, i don't know if they couldn't find a proper box in Amazon or wherever was packed and sent, so the record would comfortably fit in there; when i got the package, the vinyl nearly fitted in the box so it was sligthly folded from one side, sligthly BUT still folded so at the begining the sound was a bit weird, its not like a record will recover shape all by it self, but i did what i could to make recover the flat shape.

It was disappointing to find my poor pretty vinyl forced to fit on a box.

This album is terrible. Winehouse grabs her attention by being a druggie, not showing up at gigs, and by being just plain weird. Her voice and music are lame. I can't believe people buy her music. There are a whole lot of better choices out there. I would say that the rich get richer when we purchase their music but in her case I think she goes out and buys more drugs. Please don't make her a martre by buying her music.

not the best voice in the business, but these days that doesn't matter. good cd to listen to while cleaning. favorite track is you know i'm no good.

I was hanging out and heard a cut on the CD and I was sold. I heard Rehab but didn't think much of it but she can get down with the best of them.

I love this album. I keep playing it over and over again, and it never gets old. The rest of the album is just as good as the radio tracks.

This is the kind of album that I've been wishing for years that Christina Aguilera would record: a classic, Motown-esque power collection of great tunes, backed by solid instrumental work. (No cliched guitar riffs on this album - we're talking horns, keyboards, backing vocals, strings - you name it.) Winehouse has the same fantastic voice, but less of the annoying R&B coloratura that Aguilera has, so she's dynamite on these soulful tunes.

I love Winehouse's raw, pouty, expressive voice, even if she can't articulate worth a damn. (She must have gone to the Stevie Nicks school of pronunciation) She could sing me the phone book and I would love every minute.

Back to black is so brilliant musically, both Amy's songs and her performance of them. The only weak spot is the use of needlessly explicit lyrics, for example in Me and Mr. Jones, "mockery" would have been so much more timeless than "f-ckery", and really would have made as much or more sense. The needless use of the f word grates a bit, and simply makes it impossible to play this song in public or in front of most audiences, and it's such a shame not to be able to play this musically brilliant song for one's kids.
Amy Winehouse is an absolutely amazing talent, her rapid descent into drugs and anorexia has been so heartbreaking. If only she can get free of the drugs, alcohol, and the severe anorexia (she now looks nursing-home thin, like a wire stick figure with an increasingly clownish wig on top). If only she can get free of the destructive hangers-on and the paparazzi who appear to continually hound and provoke her for dramatic photos.... Amy, you are a wealthy woman now, don't let your hangers on eat up all your money and use you up for drugs. You deserve to have a beautiful life, to own your own beautiful healthy life, and to thrive. Please take a long-term health retreat, hire the necessary medical and support staff to keep the drugs out and help you get clean and get your life back, do it someplace you like like Spain or Florida or the Caribbean, you need to be in a gated place with guards to keep out the hangers on, drug-users, and paparazzi, medical supervision, and healthy meals prepared for you, so you can finally take time for YOU, enjoying music to your heart's content, and getting clean! You can afford it and you deserve it. The world doesn't want to lose you. P.S. You never needed to lose weight, you were so beautiful to begin with, with an absolutely knockout figure and face. The world prays for your recovery and for a future of happiness, health, and independence for you. Good luck and God bless!

The first song has fun lyrics and is musically interesting. The second cut is just OK. Every one of the remaining cuts are real nothingness filler.

I love this CD and play it over and over in the car, my iPod and at home. This is funky, soulful jazz, the kind that you sing along with. I love the lyrics and the songs are retro-sounding. Clean up Amy, we need more of you!

Sounding for the world like a record straight out of the Motown era, "Back to Black", Amy Winehouse's second major LP, debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 and quickly went double platinum after winning five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year (producer Mark Ronson even took home a Grammy for Producer of the Year). The cover of the album features an alluring photograph of Winehouse, her face sporting pale lips, heavy charcoal eyes and a dramatic beehive, looks au courant of 60's fashion that have become the singer's trademark. Her powerhouse voice brings to mind the voluptuous, sensational pipes of yesteryear singers Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn. The rousing brass section, toe-tapping beats, tsee-tsee-tsee of cymbals and seductive saxophones have one listening for hours on end, particularly those of a generation long since passed who relish the sounds that precluded the rock n' roll revolution.

The album opens with the lively "Rehab", a song that would ironically foretell Winehouse's troubles with substance abuse and seems a little out of place on an album largely about love and loss. The energy continues with "You Know I'm No Good", a strangely upbeat tune about infidelity and "Me and Mr. Jones", a slow and sexy strut about a woman who insults yet still pines for her crooked man. "Just Friends" sails in nice and easy, a story about an affair that's not meant to last which segues nicely into "Back To Black", a lament of a lover gone back to the other woman. The moodiness continues with "Love Is A Losing Game", a title that speaks for itself as far as the lyrics are concerned (self professed, profound/til' the tips were down/though you're a gambling man/love is a losing hand). "Tears Dry On Their Own" has a woman healing and learning from a failed relationship (he walks away/the sun goes down/he takes the day but I'm grown/and it's ok/in this blue shade/my tears dry on their own). "Wake Up Alone" shares similar sentiment with fantastic melody expertly saturating the heartache of the lyrics (he gets fierce in my dreams seizing my guts/he floors me with dread/soaked to soul he swims in my eyes by the bed/pour myself over him/moon spilling in/and I wake up alone). "Some Unholy War", "He Can Only Hold Her" and an unlisted version of "You Know I'm No Good" featuring Ghostface Killah round out the disc.

Lately Winehouse has been fodder for the tabloids due to her tumultuous marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil (still serving time for assault and bribery) as well as her physical altercations with the press and drug abuse. In June of 2008, Winehouse was hospitalized and doctors discovered she was beginning to show early warning signs of emphysema, her lungs functioning at only 70% capacity due to her excessive smoking of crack cocaine. With a laundry list of problems (one of which is rumored to be an eating disorder), Winehouse has shriveled in the eye of the public, her gargantuan mound of hair piled atop her ghastly thin frame threatening to force the singer to come crashing to the ground. My greatest concern is that one day soon we will wake to hear of her untimely death and wonder what might've been instead of seeing her pick herself up and rise once again, clean and sober and topping the charts.

Bottom line: If you like the golden oldies with a new and sensational twist or you're of a younger generation and you're tired of the same-old-same-old, "Back To Black" is the album for you.

It is a sad comment on our society that English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse's self-destructive lifestyle is receiving more media attention than her astonishing, critically-acclaimed singing. Just today she became the focus (and the newest poster girl) of the world's anti-smoking hysteria. Back to Black follows Amy Winehouse's jazz-influenced, 2003 debut album, which drew immediate comparisons to Billie Holliday, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, and Macy Gray. Back to Black reveals Winehouse's more distinctive, classy-yet-hip, sultry, retro style. The album resulted in several international hits, "Rehab," "You Know I'm No Good," "Back to Black," "Tears Dry on Their Own," and "Love Is a Losing Game," and has a jazz/soul/R&B/hip-hop sound. "Tears Dry on Their Own" features backing from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 hit, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and the title track draws its inspiration from The Supremes and The Ronettes. Hip-hop inspired "You Know I'm No Good" includes guest vocals from Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah. Songs like "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good" are more than mere posturing. They are authentic bad-girl songs drawn from personal experience. It is unfortunate that tabloid minds are more interested in Amy's personal struggles with drugs, depression, relationships, bad hair days, and cigarettes than in her amazingy talents as a singer. Listen without judging this tortured artist. Complete album tracks include:

1. Rehab 3:33
2. You Know I'm No Good 4:16
3. Me & Mr Jones 2:31
4. Just Friends 3:11
5. Back To Black 4:00
6. Love Is A Losing Game 2:34
7. Tears Dry On Their Own 3:05
8. Wake Up Alone 3:41
9. Some Unholy War 2:21
10. He Can Only Hold Her 2:48
11. You Know I'm No Good (Remix) 3:22

G. Merritt

She is a tremendous artist. I love her music style. It's just too bad that she is, personally, a train-wreck. Would like to see more albums.

I THINK AMY WINEHOUSE IS JUST THE BEST NEW ARTIST IN YEARS. HOPE SHE STAYS STRAIGHT AND GIVES UP MORE GREAT MATERIAL.

I got this for my husband who is a fan. We really love Amy's retro style and unique vocals. I should have paid more attention to the explicit lyrics warning. We can't listen to this with kids in the house. It's just too much. I love the honesty and rawness, but it's too much. Duffy is a great alternative with a similar style and we can play her CD around kids.

Amy Winehouse has the singing chops of an average R&B singer. You could probably pick any female at random from the Cabrini Green neighborhood in Chicago, and they would be able to easily match her chops. Her "hit" single Rehab sounds like filler material from Motown. Not even a single. I guess if you're a British white chick, this qualifies you for all manner of accolades and critical praise. Wow, what a great sound, we've NEVER heard this before, and we've CERTAINLY never heard it done better!

One of my Top 5 CD's i've ever bought. The voice, the music, the lyrics... i love this CD and this woman. Yeah, shes troubled - but the girl can sing. I find myself singing the songs all day, when the CD isnt even playing. To me that's the sign of truly good music. Buy and enjoy!

I managed to listen to this entire album without buying it. That was one of the best things I've done. Let me say up front that I don't care a whit about Ms. Winehouse's personal life. And I have no problem with "odd" voices (or even weak voices when the music is right, ala Eric Clapton). Here, I just don't see what all the fuss is about.

The voice is pedestrian, the style is borrowed, the arrangements are second rate, the songs are, in my view, incredibly boring, and the overall product quality is nil.

I have a wide range of taste, from Bob Dylan to Janis Joplin to Antonio Carlos Jobim to classical. I see or hear no reason to purchase Ms. Winehouse's warblings because they just aren't good enough ... they're BORING!

I really love Amy Winehouse's voice. The CD is always in my car. Great purchase, wonderful sound.

I bought this cd a few months back, and I think I have only listened to it one time all the way through. Honestly, this cd sounds like something an older aunt would listen to. I really don't get the hype about Amy Winehouse at all. Sorry but if I wanted to hear 60's music I would go buy some Motown classics.

I bought this for my 22 yr old daughter, but honestly, this 51 yrd old grandma fell for Amy watching the Grammy's. What a talented, original artist.

Amy's voice is rich, expressive, and the songs are really well produced. I haven't been this impressed in a while, I love every single track on this album.

The endless "news" coverage of Amy Winehouse's personal problems somehow made me interested in checking out her music. When B-list pseudo-journalists prop themselves up by making fun of Amy's struggles, they occasionally throw in an actual snippet of the music, revealing that Amy deserves credit as a truly excellent singer. Sure she sounds a lot like classic soul divas such as Billie Holiday or Etta James. But she's much more than a mere imitator, showing the raw talent that adds attitude and understanding to her inherent technical abilities. That attitude and understanding can be heard in this album's biggest winners, like "You Know I'm No Good," "Back to Black," and the great Ashford & Simpson update "Tears Dry on Their Own."

But while Amy is not the imitator some claim her to be, the musical backdrop of this album is definitely derivative, rarely straying from basic 60s Motown sounds (though at least the music here isn't the limp semi-R&B that's all most pop producers can come up with these days). This album is also quite undeveloped, with only half an hour of original material, propped up unsuccessfully with a horrendous second version of "You Know I'm No Good" that calls itself a "remix" but only turns up the bass and adds an unwelcome rap from the annoying Ghostface Killah (we can probably blame the record company for the anemic track listing). Regardless, Amy's talents as a singer and lyricist shine through, but unfortunately she appears to be gifted with that type of genius that comes with a streak of self-destruction. She might have a true masterpiece in her future - if she can pull herself together. [~doomsdayer520~]

I just don't get it. I'm a true old school fan. This just doesn't compare at all. And what talent she does have seems to have been created through the use of illegal substances.

How odd and appropriate and utterly wonderful that the Brits should so decisively breathe life back into the R&B genre. Soul music has been stone cold dead in the United States for quite some time, but these retro-leaning new albums by Amy Winehouse and (to a lesser extent) Duffy bring American music back to life in much the same way that the Beatles and the Stones revived rock in the early '60s. Guess all those English "Northern Soul" parties paid off, after all! Winehouse is a brilliant song stylist and performer. More power to her. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue music reviews)

I'm actually not a fan of Amy Winehouse (the person), but the Amy Winehouse (musician) is great!
My absolute favorite song on BACK TO BLACK would have to be "Tears Dry on Their Own." Also, I still kind of like "Rehab," which was a smash hit last summer.
I would recommend this album to people who love great R&B/Jazz, sort of music, who like variety...it's a good album.

I heard her name a few times and a few people talking about her from the Grammys but didn't pay any attention. I don't listen to radio at don't watch much TV so not up on the latest music & entertainment. But I wish I would have heard this album sooner. She is truly an artist!

Amy's retro-style music is refreshing and her voice is a revelation. So what a disappointment when I finally bought this CD and put it in my stereo. The sound quality is an absolute disgrace. Every next time I listen to this CD, it causes my toes to curl more.

Don't buy this rubbish, even if (or should I say 'especially if'?) you like her music. Some decent quality recording hopefully will be issued in the near future. I then can throw away this crap.