New Artist Monday: Amy Winehouse
Alright, ladies and gentlefolk, the moment you have been waiting for. Well, I mean, I’ve been waiting for it too, let’s face it, that’s why I decided to write it, but anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy this week as well. I’m going to get the chance to dive into an artist that has been getting major buzz in the music world right now, with her soulful voice and “I don’t really give a hoot” attitude. (please insert the expletive of your choice in the space where I wrote “hoot”, you know…keeping it PG here…)
One thing you need to check out before/after/during your reading of this blog (during would be mad talent, props to you), is the video Chris put up. Click here for that post!
I digress, like always, so for your reading pleasure, I give you a window into the artist that is Amy Winehouse…
- Name of Artist: Amy Winehouse (Don’t listen to that Chris on Killed By The Video Star, he’s sassy…)
- Sound: Think a white Jewish Aretha Franklin, and you’re on the right track. She’s got the hair and the voice that would make you think she’s a 60’s Motown player, but she’s actually a scrappy troublemaker from England.
- Location: London, England
- Website: www.amywinehouse.co.uk
- You May Remember Her From Such Songs As…: Does the title “Rehab” ring any bells? It really should. That song gets play on every type of radio station, from the “Middle aged folks who still know some cool stuff” station to “Today’s hits a.k.a. mostly rap songs with a couple other things mixed in,” and even the “We’re too cool for you because we’re indie like that” stations. Yes, everyone wants a piece of Amy Winehouse. Other songs you may have heard by her on the radio station are, “You Know I’m No Good,” and my guess is you’ll be hearing “Back to Black” soon, which is an awesome song, in case you wanted my opinion. No? Okay, well you got it anyway.
- Next Performance: Lollapalooza in Chicago, August 3rd
Oh, Amy Winehouse. Center of controversy. Lily Allen with a rougher edge. It seems that the world is currently fascinated with you. I remember the first time I heard your song, “Rehab.” It was about 5 in the morning on a Saturday, probably in April or early May, and I saw the song on the rotation for my 4-6am college radio timeslot. I played it, fell in love with it, and since it was 5am, played it again a half hour later. Nobody would know, right? I also played “You Know I’m No Good,” probably somewhere around 5:15. I was hooked. There’s something about that voice of hers that calls back to those big-voiced greats like Aretha Franklin, but all this coming from a white Jewish girl from London? Let’s talk history, shall we?
Winehouse may have a history of jazz musicians in the family, but unlike Lily Allen, it didn’t come directly from her parents. Her dad, Mitchell Winehouse, is a taxi driver, and her mother is a pharmacist. Amy, however, wasted no time in getting started musically, forming an amateur rap group called Sweet ‘N Sour, where she was Sour (appropriate, yes?) She called it “the little white Jewish Salt ‘N Pepa.” At the age of 12 she attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School but was expelled a year later for “not applying herself” and piercing her own nose. My kind of girl…
There are many different artists that Winehouse has said influenced her, from The Shirelles to The Specials, Elvis Presley to Prince. It was her friend, Tyler James, a soul singer, who really helped get her career off the ground. He presented her demo tape to an A&R person, and she started singing professionally by age 16. She signed at the record company Island/Universal, which is managed by 19 Management, Simon Fuller’s management company. That’s definitely not small potatoes, ladies and germs.
Her debut album, Frank, was released in October of 2003, receiving very positive reviews. Most critics associated her sound with that of Sarah Vaughn and Macy Gray. All the songs, except for the two covers, of course, were co-written by Winehouse. To me, the album was almost where it needed to be, and Winehouse herself said she was only about 80 percent behind the album.
Back to Black, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with. Instead of being more jazz-influenced, this CD gives those old 50’s and 60’s Motown vibes. Amy credits the speed she wrote the CD and influences to Mark Ronson. She says: “When I met Mark I pretty much wrote the album in 6 months — he was so inspiring.” Ronson and Salaam Remi produced the eleven-track album with just about equal credits, so obviously he has been a great connection and resource for Winehouse. One fun thing to do with this new CD is to listen to the tracks very carefully. In “Rehab,” she references Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway by saying “Ray” and “Mr. Hathaway.” Okay, perhaps a little obvious, but how about when she talks about the rapper Nas Jones? Check out the song “Me and Mr. Jones” for that, where she mentions their shared birthday of September 14th by saying “9 and 14,” and daughter Destiny with “Mr. Destiny.” It’s always fun when singers put little secrets or inside stories in their songs. Perhaps it’s common, but I never get tired of finding the references, so I thought I’d share.
So, for sure I’m going to have to have some special blogs this week. One is going to be about all the controversy surrounding Winehouse’s personal life, for example, the drinking and the weight loss and all that jazz. Another will most likely be about her and Lily Allen, if Chris and I get that together. I’m also going to talk about her awards at some point, probably during Trivia Tuesday. For now, I’m thinking I wrote an eyeful, so keep reading!
Photo sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/undergrounder/421190056/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeakelly/440615450/
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