I just got ahold of Amy Winehouse's 2006 album Back to Black. This is the 10-song set; it isn't the American version. All it is is the Universal Island Record Inc version.
This album comes with a song book showing her on the cover, looking a little thin but still haning in there. While the songs are missing time lengths, their copyrights are covered, though the last song, He Can Only Hold Her, had to be settled to give P*NUT credit as writer of the song.
FWIW I found Rehab to be a thumbing of the nose at drug rehabilitation. Definitely, it's not a tune to be playing at any Alcoholics Anonymous Saturday night club dance any time soon.
In You Know I'm No Good, the feeling that Amy actually came to believes in the lyrics gives me a chill.
Me and Mr Jones appears to be a thinly veiled synopsis of Winehouse's troubles with her hubby Blake. It is listenable,and danceable too.
Back to Black is a catchy tune. I've listened to the clean version a couple times, and have also heard the many uncut versions sang during her 2007 tour in Europe and in the US. It's with this song that she's gone from jazz and R'n'B to adult blues a la Billie Holliday.
In Love is a Losing Game, we get more of Amy's melancholy, which could be the side effect of alcoholism.
Tear Dry On Their Own is another melancholic song.
Wake Up Alone is a great melody. Obviously it's a song about her missing Blake.
Some Unholy War basically is Amy and Blake against the naysayers.
Finally, completing this set is the hotly contested He Can Only Hold Her, which originated as a demo by P*NUT. In the album, credit is given to him but no co-writing credits were added. Amy even thanked him, but because these lyrics are mainly his, P*NUT sued and got those co-writer credits.
Overall, Back to Black shows the power of reality in inspiring the creativity of a potentially great singer. Sadly though, the drug scandals are not doing her a lot of good.
As for now, I've yet to hear hide and hair of Amy Winehouse. Yet having her all her songs on this album, complete with uncut versions of Back to Black, I am giving her credit.
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