a quick review...

Amy Winehouse
"Back to Black"
(Island)

For all intents and purposes, I should probably dislike Amy Winehouse. Aesthetically, I can draw plenty of similarities between Winehouse and Lily Allen, Pitchfork's other British It-Chick who was the recent recipient of Ryan's lyrical darts: they're both high profile white girls from across the water who are more known for being loud-mouthed chickenheads redoing the kind of music that Black people have been doing for years. They also have worked with trust fund baby-turned-beatmaker Mark Ronson, who's a way better producer than the other go-to-trust fund beatmaker, Scotty Storch.

Yet for all her stories involving rehab and whatnot, I actually dig Amy Winehouse. Her record "Back to Black" is far more pleasant than whatever bullshit Lily Allen was kicking out. And let's face it, any singer who has the guts to have Ghostface Killah on their record AND Salaam Remi (the man behind the first Fugees record, Da Bush Babees and the last three Nas records) backing her up is up to snuff with their hip-hop references.

It's fairly easy to write Winehouse off as a Jamiroquai-styled revival act, but there's something genuine in her voice and lyrics that you don't really feel with contemporaries like Lily Allen and Jamie Cullum (shudder). That's the truth, party people.