Vinyl of the Week - 6 DECEMBER 2020

Back In Black, ACDC

The subject of today’s VOTW is, unfortunately, a member of the infamous ‘27 club’, passing at the age of 27, way too soon. Back To Black is the second and final album by Amy Winehouse. Recorded in 2005, it is a remarkable piece of work by an extraordinary artist. Amy was surrounded by controversy and media attention at the peak of her career, her brilliance as an artist often drowned out by the accompanying noise and rumour. I don’t want to focus on this or the vast amount of tragedy encompassing Amy, rather the music she gave to all of us. Her voice is unique in a way that belies her young age when she made this record. If you didn’t know of her, you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a classic jazz standards singer with years of experience, not to mention the accumulation of many smoky jazz clubs and a voice to show for it. When you realise she was in her early 20’s, her music is even more incredible. The influences for this album came from a dark period in her life, but as is often the case, added a sincerity and depth that resulted in magic. Back to Black is pure class from start to finish. To even suggest a favourite track would be missing the point, as it is best listened to in its entirety. Having said that, the success of Back To Black was assured by no less than five singles, including the title track. I find this album to be so musically and lyrically rich. Her execution of every track is, in my opinion, as perfect as any artist you can name. If you’ve never had a really good sit & listen session with an Amy Winehouse record you’ve been missing out on something truly awesome - DS