Flashback Fridays: Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black"
October 27, 2006. The 2000s period was graced with an album that revisited the timeless sound that made music blossom. Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" was, and still is, one of the best albums to ever be released.
It would go on to win Best Pop Vocal Album at the 50th Grammy Awards, received critical acclaim from fans and critics alike, and as of June 2012, the album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
The 2000s for most people was the last decade of good music and with works like this, they make a damn good point.
Amy sings of love, empowerment, pain and her life over melodies of throwback, soulful music. To hear the Motown style enhanced and polished with modern flourishes, was the epitome of refreshing for music lovers. The first official single "Rehab" became a smash and went on to go Platinum. Amy sings of refusing to go to a rehabilitation clinic against orders from specialists. The lyrics, in fact, were autobiographical and throughout her life and career she struggled with addiction to drugs in a downward spiral that would be her undoing.
The album also spawned four more successful singles: "Tears Dry on Their Own," "You Know I'm No Good," "Back to Black" and "Love Is a Losing Game," which would later be covered by the legendary Prince. Sadly, Back to Black was the last album released in Winehouse's lifetime as she died five years later.
Three live posthumous albums have been released and singles such as Nas' "Cherry Wine" continue to espouse her legacy and showcase her talent from beyond the grave. "Back to Black" became the best selling album in the U.K. in 2011 and is one of the best albums of all time. If you doubt, listen to it.