Music Review: Amy Winehouse
by Whitney Sides
CBS42.com
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 There are few things in life than hold my interest for longer than a fleeting thought. Since two of those things involve caffeine and/or cheese, I began to worry about my most recent fascination: Amy Winehouse.
GASP! I know, everyone… settle down. We all have opinions about the brooding songstress, but there is a certain mystique involved with her persona that makes her more likely to garner genuine concern than other objects of gossip fodder. It may come as a surprise, but the Grammy-winning British songbird who reminds us more of Dusty Springfield or Ronnie Spector than anyone from our time is only 24 years old. Years of supposed battles with substance abuse, a tumultuous marriage and the intensity of the British tabloid spotlight may have made her appear more weathered than her peers.
Winehouse’s singles “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab” both add to her notoriety as a somewhat left-of-center rock star from the days of yore. The interesting thing about her relationship with her image is that when a story makes it rounds about Amy and it’s something outlandish and far-fetched – there’s a possibility it could be true.
As if the beehive and miles of eyeliner weren’t enough, photos emerged of her leaving her London home at four in the morning a few months ago with nothing but a red bra and some rosary beads. It seemed as though the public has assumed its part of the territory when dealing with what some would call a musical genius. When her husband was sentenced to prison on obstruction charges right as her second album “Back to Black” was gaining critical and commercial acclaim, it was still under the radar to the mainstream American public. Her most recent headline was no exception. She has reportedly moved for the third time in four months and the reason is even more bizarre: demons. Whether she actually believes she is haunted by some sort of otherworldly presence is debatable, but no one seems to doubt much of anything concerning her private life anymore.
A few weeks ago, she battled a severe case of “impetigo”, according to her publicist. Supposedly she had gone the way of so many other young starlets this year by entering rehab and being closely guarded under her father’s care. The running joke is that she finally said “yes, yes, yes” to rehab, in contrast to her famous “Rehab” lyrics.
Whether the gossip hungry public is watching a Janis Joplin-esque (or even Britney-like) decline -- that is certainly unfair to judge. One thing I do know is that I genuinely want Amy Winehouse to be healthy enough to create the music that has become the antidote to my generation’s modern disillusion with popular music.
If you have yet to hear her much talked about sophomore album “Back to Black”, you are guaranteed to be pleasantly surprised, regardless of what previous slights you might’ve acquired about 2007’s breakout star. For those interested in even more on Amy, take some time to listen to her first album “Frank”, now released in America.
Also, type “Amy Winehouse” into an image search engine when you get the chance.
YOU ARE WELCOME.
(Disclaimer: This review in no way expresses the opinion of WIAT-TV CBS 42 or CBS42.com.)
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