Last month in Vogue, or Elle, I read an article about punk music and fashion, something like that. The author excitedly wrote that Amy Winehouse is one of the few modern artists who pulls off a punk fashion sense, and that her voice is very tremendous and unique. I'm very loosely paraphrasing here, but the point is that I was persuaded to go online and download a track by her. I don't normally pay attention to musicians/bands who are getting a lot of hype in the mainstream media because they usually disappoint. Winehouse was no exception. I listened to her hit, "You Know I Am No Good," and was a little shocked at how derivative it was. Curious about the rest of the album, I "sampled" the tracks via www.cdnow.com. "Me % Mr. Jones" has a really fifties soul feel too, and it's catchy, but I'd rather listen to a BLACK soul artist from my Mojo Soul Comp. The more I think about all of the white musicians who knock off what was created by blacks and who sometimes if not often earn a lot more money for it, the madder I get. Elvis didn't invent rock and roll, and neither did the fucking Stones. Both contributed to music significantly, of course, but neither 'invented' anything. They simply built upon a sound that already existed.
Winehouse and her success is a total sham. She sounds like another white vocalist knocking off black vocalists. What's there to hype about that? And the way she looks--well, she makes me shudder. I guess I should be embarrassed for trolling tmz.com, occasionally, but man, eat woman, eat!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Amy Winehouse--Why the hype?
Posted by Jen Threat
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9 comments:
Excellent to see you here, Jen Threat!
I tend to agree that Winehouse ain't all that and a bag of delicious potato flavored vegetable fiber, as the saying goes. And though she is undeniably derivative, she's also doing something with soul music that no one else is doing right now. R.Kelly is the reigning king of soul, and it's pretty amazing how dissimilar his music is to any of the classic soul that is so intoxicating. Winehouse is mining that old soul sound, but updating it with more contemporary beats. It's a formula, but it's one that seem to be working for her. Plus, say what you will about Brit soul divas like Joss Stone and Winehouse; they can sing. It's not quite enough to get my panties damp, but it's not offensively bad, either.
Finally, in Winehouse's defence (please note the British spelling), she has one of my favorite lyrics of the year:
"What fuckery is this? You mad me miss the slick rick gig."
(from Me & Mr. Jones)
Fuckery. Genius.
So I guess Ms. Winehouse needs to spend more time eating food and less time shooting junk:
From the AP 8/22/07:
Amy Winehouse Scraps North American Tour
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August 22,2007 | NEW YORK -- Amy Winehouse has put her North American tour on hold, raising more concerns about her health. "Due to the rigors involved in touring, Amy Winehouse has been advised to postpone her upcoming September U.S. and Canadian tour dates," the British singer's publicist, Tracy Miller, said in a statement Tuesday.
"Amy's European and U.K. tour dates in October and November remain in place. Plans are being made to reschedule her U.S. tour for early 2008. Until then, Amy has been ordered to rest and is working with medical professionals to address her health."
Last week, it was announced that the 23-year-old was canceling all her August performances due to "severe exhaustion." While British tabloids have claimed the retro-soul singer has been in rehab due to drug abuse, her spokeswoman has denied such claims.
Winehouse made her U.S. debut this year with the acclaimed album "Back to Black," but her celebrity has been fueled by her tabloid image as much as her talent. She's spoken openly about her past battles with drugs and her penchant for alcohol and marijuana, and her hit single "Rehab" is an autobiographical tale of her resistance to being pushed to go to rehab: "They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no."
Winehouse was scheduled to appear at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 9 in Las Vegas, but it is unclear if she will be on hand for the event.
Let it Bleed is one of my all time favorite albums, damn innovative in every sense of the word.
Rhetorical question: How does one invent rock n roll, anyway? Is there a Guy Who Invented Rock N Roll?
People frequently use the phrase 'so and so invented rock and roll.' I just heard someone say 'Elvis invented rock and roll' on the BBC, and I've read some disgusting ass kissing journalism about the Stones in MOJO that didn't ever mention that anyone else ever made blues/honkey tonk songs/records made me want to puke. Just trying to clarify a bit, but don't anyone think I'm gonna get suckered into rock and roll bickering. No way!
Please insert the word 'that' between the words 'records' and 'made' in your minds. Thanks.
My problem is not an argument about whether the Rolling Stones invented rock n roll. It's a waste of time. My argument is that there really isn't such a thing as rock n roll, or blues, for that matter, for a person or band to invent. And I've never actually even read Wittgenstein!
For now, this song is about the Guy Who Invented Rock n Roll, and it's called "The Guy Who Invented Rock n Roll".
Never mind her drug abuse and lousy taste in newspapers -- save for the sacrilegious rewrite of 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough,' Back to Black is fantastic and we all know it. So what if it's derivative? The best hip-hop and jazz are pure modification of existing songs and structures and shit. Find me a more powerful three seconds of music than 'I cried for you on the kitchen floor' from 'You Know I'm No Good' and I'll buy you a drink. On 'He Can Only Hold Her,' Winehouse is almost as expressive as Sharon Jones; on 'Valerie,' from her producer Mark Ronson's album, she is for three glorious minutes Jones's equal. Y'all gonna cry crocodile tears when she is gone, so recognize: this is the best shit to hit the pop charts in ages.
I agree with ericblowtorch.
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