Amy Winehouse: Bringing down the house or just a wino?

British pop singer Amy Winehouse is somethin' else! I've listened to her studio albums and watched a live show that included a cover of Lauryn Hill's classic Doo Wop (That Thing). However, I find myself asking the following question again and again despite several listens to her music: Is Amy any good? What is there about her that brought world-wide acclaim? Her music or the persona? Either way, I was initially drawn to her because of her attempts to recreate the sound of black music from a previous era, mainly soul/R&B. More surprisingly I discovered her love for vocal jazz and pop. Suddenly Amy became more than a white soul-pop singer and I found myself preferring her jazz-influenced first album Frank more than the successful subsequent release, Back to Black, which as you can probably guess, refers to the rebirth of 1960s soul.

So let's begin with her first album, Frank. First of all, the title likely refers to the legendary Frank Sinatra, whose music, along with other pop and vocal jazz artists, provided the musical backdrop of her childhood. Amy's father raised her on this type of music and the album shows it. Following in the footsteps of 90s American R&B and neo-soul, the album features Salaam Remi on production and hip-hop-influenced beats and some sampling. For example, October Song, a tribute to bebop/pop vocalist Sarah Vaughan, includes a moment where Vaughan sings the melody of the jazz standard "Lullaby of Birdland" and hip-hop styled beats. Another piece, "Cherry," samples the jazz standard "Girl from Ipanema."
My biggest problem with this album the way in which it was marketed as a jazz album though it features very little improvisation. Amy sings in the style of Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington with a contralto range that demands the listener's attention, but cannot retain. I found myself getting bored with this album after the first three songs...
Perhaps even more annoying is when Amy referred to herself as a jazz singer in an interview though there is very ltitle jazz on this album and she apes the styles of famous vocalists instead of creating something new. However, in her defense, her rendition of "There is No Greater Love" was decent despite the cheasy nighttime effects. I suppose I could also recommend "Fuck Me Pumps," "Cherry," and "In My Bed" as well...

Back to Black, her next album that brought mainstream success, shifts away from vocal jazz to retro soul. It retains modern styles of R&B production like Frank but samples soul songs. My favorites from this album are the obvious "Rehab," "You Know I'm No Good," and "Tears Dry On Their Own," which samples my brotha Marvin Gaye's "Aint no Mountain High Enough." The rest is just a downhill trip that, despite Amy's interesting voice, fails to hold my attention. Of course the stylistic changes that accompany Back to Black are significant to me.
Once again, a white musician takes "black" music and makes herself wealthy and earns fame and fortune while everyone ignores the true innovators and originators of the style. Neo-soul singers don't have to be black in order to be legitimate neo-soulsters but it is interesting that a Jewish woman from London would become so successful singing in that style...
Naturally Amy Winehouse's persona and drug problems also fueled album sales and gave her broader recognition because of the attention the press gave her at the time. Thus despite the dearth of good music on the album, the fact that Amy's personal life is ineffably troubled imbues songs like "Rehab" with startling realism. Like Billie Holiday, Amy lived through a lot of the ordeals described in her music, thereby authenticating it. ]
Ultimately, she is mostly a wino, but has the potential to bring the house down. She channels the spirit and sound of black music within her own unique vocals on Back to Black but fails to deliver a solid studio recording. I impatiently wait for her comeback album with production help from Mark Ronson and Questlove...