June 30, 2008
Question of the week: Does Amy Winehouse matter?
Oh, the promise. Winehouse's "Back to Black" was critically and commercially successful. And you know the rest. She started the game so troubled that she was unable to enjoy it -- producer Mark Ronson told Rolling Stone magazine that recent attempts at recording her were "heartbreaking."
You could easily say that Ronson made Winehouse, who had done pretty well in England with a previous, jazzier CD. And his method is surely working for Sharon Jones, whose Dap Kings also recorded "Back to Black."
And now there's Duffy. People say that she's mining the same vein, although I think her debut, "Rockferry," is a good deal lighter than Winehouse's hit. Still, it's good, and as pop culture cycles go, we seem to be looking at a return to 1960s production values. In other words, if Duffy gets growing success out of this (and this record sounds like one that can sell through a couple of seasons), we're going to hear a lot more producers framing their performers in Motown, Stax, Hi and other classic sounds. Muscle Shoals, represent!
So, back to the original question. Does Winehouse matter to you? Do you care?
Comments
[June 30, 2008 4:59 PM]
Franklin Drakes : →http://www.iwanttoknowyourstory.comNo. Amy Winehouse does not matter. Musically, anyway. You see, when someone has a decent voice and stage presence coupled with idiot behavior, talent can corrode like her crack and cigarette coated lungs. It's kind of hard to feel sorry for her, other than simply wondering why she wants to die with her foot on the accelerator. Through the years, the music world has seen some really bright stars burn out quickly, just giving us a glimpse of what they could have offered. Not Amy. She has offered the music world little more than an insight into her drug addiction and poor relationship choices through the tabloids. Peace, Drakes
[July 1, 2008 8:49 AM]
John : →http://triscaleband.comAmy Winehouse has a wasted talent... she went from being hospitalized to having emphysema to not really having emphysema to having it just a little bit. Now she punched someone at a show? Who is she?!? Henry Rollins?? She's a crack-head and obviously doesn't care about herself, so why should I care about her?
[July 1, 2008 9:59 AM]
WendyI care in the same way I care about Britney Spears. I just like observing the train wreck.
[July 1, 2008 11:45 AM]
PaulAmy Winehouse aspires only to be a rock and roll cliche. She writes about rehab and being bad. She lives the part and doesn't care. She is on a death wish and wants to become a rock immortal by flaming out and dying young. She does this to cover up the fact that she is marginally talented and would otherwise be ignored.
[July 1, 2008 1:14 PM]
MikeWho? :)
[July 1, 2008 6:23 PM]
Jake D.If producers start framing their artists in Motown, Stax, and Muscle Shoals based on the success of these artists, then yes- she matters. I'm all for that. The production value we've seen on top 40 records in the last 10 years is deplorable. Cookie-cutter, sugary sweet tripe custom tailored for the mass consuming, all important 12-25 year old demographic. It's less art than product. Like a can of pepsi.
What doesn't matter is her personal life. Or any other celebrity's for that matter. Our airways (are they airways anymore?) are being eaten up with this voyeuristic "news" on celebrities. Case in point: OJ Simpson vs. Rwanda. While our eyes were glued to millions of TVs in the early nineties watching a white SUV speed down the road with hundreds of LAPD in pursuit, 20% of the population of an African Nation was being hacked alive by machetes. We barley noticed that while it was happening. I suppose that sort of news doesn't sell pepsi. (or Brittany Spears CDs) Therein lies a big problem with our culture in this country in my personal opinion. Our relentless thirst for all things pop culture, and the media's idol worship of these celebrities, who are people with the same problems and issues as the rest of us.
[July 2, 2008 12:21 PM]
Tad : →http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/insideoutJake, sir, you have absolutely *nailed* it.
I was in my college psych class on the day the O.J. Simpson verdict was read. People brought radios into class, and had them cranked to hear the result.
The psych teacher probably enjoyed watching and listening to the whole situation, analyzing the group along the way.
I'm sure there were people in the class who were fuming over the triviality of it all (it was an auditorium class), but the verdict ruled the day.
I have to wonder, though, how people would have reacted had cameras in Rwanda fed the 24/7 news beast. Would ratings go up, or down? Would viewers demand international action? Or would they flip the station to reruns of "American Gladiator"?
I'm with you on the production thing, too. The Duffy CD doesn't sound half bad, but it doesn't move me nearly as much as "Back To Black," which features some really good performances and those neo-retro production values.
Not long after the record started to hit, I saw Winehouse with the Dap Kings on Mos Def's MTV live performance show. She killed it. And the funny thing is, that performance is already very obscured by her personal issues.
As we know, this happens to a lot of artists, but I agree with other writers who say the train wreck is coming awfully early in her career. And it's a real shame, because I think there is (or was) a lot of potential in that woman.
I hope it's not too late for her to recover and grow.