Over the past couple of weeks, I have been seeing and hearing Amy Winehouse’s name all over the place; whether it be on television, on the internet or just in casual conversation. To be honest, since the late songstress passed away in mid-2011, she has become more famous following her tragic death at the age of 27. She joins many other famous artists like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain in what has been referred to as “The 27 Club.” A little over two weeks ago, a documentary about Winehouse’s life was released to theaters across the United States. The reviews have been phenomenal and I’ve even seen talk about it potentially being nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and if that’s true, it will be the first time a documentary will be up for the prestigious award.

In honor of Amy and the success of “Amy,” her posthumous documentary, I have decided to review her last studio album “Back to Black.” The album itself is a personal favorite of mine, so I figured now was a great time. So, here we go:

1. Rehab “They try to make me go to rehab, but I say no, no, no…” Words that would ultimately become her greatest hit, cement her legacy and unfortunately predict the inevitable. The first track on Back to Black is a sophisticated effort by Winehouse to detract both her critics and her fans. For a long time, people stated the songstress needed to seek help for her addictions. She disagreed. As she herself stated within the song, it had nothing to do with her pride, but rather it was the only thing that could medicate her troubled mind. “Rehab” is an articulately crafted, well-written and produced, blues masterpiece. You would be a complete fool to deny it and an even bigger one not to move with it.
2. You Know I’m No Good Who hurt who more? Did Amy hurt herself worse than she hurt “him” or was it the other way around? “Good” is everything a blues song should be. It tells a story, it is introspective and by the end, Amy leaves us with more questions than answers. The R&B flavors interspersed with the lyrics make this a standout track on the album. It didn’t do well commercially in the United States and only charted moderately in the UK, but it did get positive reviews when it was released as a single back in 2007. More often than not, great singles do not get the success they deserve, and this is a prime example. Underperformed and often underrated.
3. Me & Mr. Jones A lot of people write this song off as being about a fix and swiftly disregard it. In reality, it is about her then-boyfriend, rapper Nasir Jones, formally known as Nas. Short and sweet, she is pissed at herex-boyfriend Blake Fielder for making her miss a Slick Rick show and she refuses to let him get in the way of her attending an upcoming Nas concert. The concert she is referencing in the song, however, would actually become infamous in real life for its gunfire. Quite an interesting tale indeed.
4. Just Friends Not as outgoing or as loud as the songs that precede it, this song takes a softer approach. Lyrically, she’s expressing her dismay over not being able to choose love over alcohol. It is raw, sincere and overwhelmingly tragic. To be frank, Back to Black is an insight at love from the point of view of an alcoholic. “Friends” is as close to the message as the album gets, and when reading the lyrics, it works just as well as poetry. Beautifully arranged, flawless in form and right at home on this album.
5. Back to Black Not only did he make her miss her Slick Rick concert but he also left Amy for his ex-girlfriend? Gee, this guy is an asshole. The title track normally sets the standard of which the rest of the album will hinge upon and expand off of. “Back to Black” does its job quite well. It is placed right near the middle of the album for the rest of the songs to revolve around it. This is one of the four songs on the album that Amy did not write by herself. She enlisted her producer, the maestro of Back to Black himself, Mr. Mark Ronson. Since its release, the song has become a pop culture phenomenon, having been covered by many artists. Most notably, Beyoncé and Andre 3000 covered the track for the 2013 film "The Great Gatsby." Impeccable and well-framed, not to ever be forgotten.
6. Love Is a Losing Game Just because the title track came right before it, does not mean the album is about to slow down any time soon. “Game” is an exquisite, stripped-down ballad, but it was the least successful of all of Back to Black’s singles. A video was supposed to be shot for the song, but Amy would never show up when it was time to film, so the idea was scrapped. She could win at writing songs, singing her soul out, selling out shows and just about anything, but she could never win at love. It is a sad number that many have drawn and will draw again. Such an introspective record and quite poetic considering this was her final studio album.
7. Tears Dry On Their Own The seventh track introduces us to the back half of the album and it’s still not slowing down. This single is co-written with the legendary songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson; and it samples Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s 1967 smash hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Even on its seventh track, this album continues to throw the punches.
8. Wake Up Alone It is hard… and it never gets easier. It is not hard, however, to miss the message that this song works to convey. But this is where the album hits a speed bump for me. This record just feels uninspired, barely able to match the standard the album sets for it.
9. Some Unholy War Every album has its fillers, this we know. Back to Black is no exception. This track barely manages to pass two minutes, becoming the shortest on the album. It feels like a piece of time wasted just to push the album past the 25-minute mark. “War” just isn’t cutting it, especially not for Amy Winehouse.
10. He Can Only Hold Her As I have been writing this review, I can honestly say with no hesitation that this is the song I have been waiting for. This is my favorite song, not only on Back to Black, but from Amy Winehouse’s entire catalog. It is expertly written and crafted with delicacy and grandeur. I love the way this song flows from word to word and the way it progresses.
11. Addicted One thing to say about this song is that it fits its position. I like this song for a few reasons; one being that Amy seems confident and not entirely defeated like many of the other songs it is paired with on this album. The beat may be repetitive, but the lyrics are prime and it is a good way to close… on a high note. “I get mine, you get yours.”

I give Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black an A-. The only real problem with this album is that it’s incredibly short, running only 34 minutes, and the back half tends to burn out. There is not enough material present to balance it all out and it drags the album down with it. Many of the songs on this album are flawless (“He Can Only Hold Her,” “Love Is a Losing Game,” and “You Know I’m No Good”), while others shine as instant classics (“Back to Black” and “Rehab”), but the ones that are not as great (“Wake Up Alone” and “Some Unholy War”) pull it down as a whole. Nine years after its release, this collection has defined Winehouse’s legacy and it will for generations to come. It is hard to not immediately fall in love with her songwriting and vocal talent, but by the end of it all, we are left wanting just a little bit more.

“Amy” is in theaters now and I strongly recommend that you go see it.