Arctic Monkeys
AMY WINEHOUSE
Discography:
Frank, Island, 2003.
Much can be said about Amy Winehouse, one of the U.K.'s flagship vocalists during the 2000s.
The British press and tabloids seemed to focus on her rowdy behaviour and heavy consumption of alcohol, but fans and critics alike embraced her rugged charm, brash sense of humour, and distinctively soulful and jazzy vocals. Her platinum-selling breakthrough album, Frank (2003), elicited comparisons ranging from Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan to Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill.
Interestingly enough, despite her strong cockney accent and vernacular, one can often hear aspects of each of those singers' vocal repertoire in Winehouse's own voice. Nonetheless, her allure has been her songwriting - almost always deeply personal, but best known for its profanity and brutal candour.
Born to a taxi-driving father and pharmacist mother, Winehouse grew up in the Southgate area of Northern London. Her upbringing was surrounded by jazz. Many of the uncles on her mother's side were professional jazz musicians, and even her paternal grandmother was romantically involved with British jazz legend Ronnie Scott at one time.
While at home, she listened to and absorbed her parents' selection of greats: Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra among others. However, in her teens, she was drawn to the rebellious spirit of TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and other American R&B and hip-hop acts of the time.
At the age of 16, after she had been expelled from London's Sylvia Young Theatre School, she caught her first break when pop singer Tyler James, a schoolmate and close friend, passed on her demo tape to his A&R, who was searching for a jazz vocalist. That opportunity led to her recording contract with Island Records.
By the end of 2003, when she was 20 years old, Island had released her debut album, Frank. With contributions from hip-hop producer/keyboardist Salaam Remi, Winehouse's amalgam of jazz, pop, soul, and hip-hop received rave reviews. The album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize as well as two Brit awards, and its lead single, "Stronger Than Me," won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song.
Following Winehouse's debut, the accolades and inquiring interviews appeared concurrently in the press with her tempestuous public life. Several times she showed up to her club or TV performances too drunk to sing a whole set. In 2006, her management company finally suggested that she enter rehab for alcohol abuse, but instead, she dumped the company and transcribed the ordeal into the U.K. Top Ten hit "Rehab," the lead single for her second, critically acclaimed album, Back to Black.
Containing evocative productions from Salaam Remi and British DJ/multi-instrumentalist Mark Ronson, the album somewhat abandoned jazz, delving into the sounds of '50s/'60s-era girl group harmonies, rock & roll, and soul.
CHECK OUT GREAT AMY WINEHOUSE VIDEOS
The fanfare over the release was so great that it started to spill over onto U.S. shores; several rappers and DJs made their own remixes of various songs - not to mention covers by Prince and the Arctic Monkeys.
One month after Winehouse won Best Female Artist at the Brit Awards in February 2007, Universal released Back to Black in the U.S. The LP charted higher than any other American debut by a British female recording artist before it, and it remained in the Top Ten for several months, selling a million copies by the end of that summer.
Just as in the U.K., she became the talk of the town, landing on the covers of Rolling Stone and Spin magazines. Not long afterward, though, Winehouse cancelled her North American tour. Early reports revealed that she was entering rehab for alcohol and drug addiction, but her new management denied the claims, stating it was due to severe exhaustion.
Her erratic behaviour kept her and her new husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, constantly in the tabloids and on and off stages on both sides of the Atlantic, but in late 2007 American fans were finally given a chance to hear Winehouse's early work, with a slightly abbreviated (two songs removed and one added) version of Frank. ~Amy died of a drugs overdose in July 2011 Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide
Source: Artistdirect
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Also Check Out:
Sukilove
After learning that frontman Pascal Deweze of Belgian band Sukilove had described this record as "homo erotic rock without the glitter", it was obvious that this album wasn't going to be run of the mill to say the least. With a reputation as one of Belgium's most interesting and daring bands, 'Static Moves' really does show that they are forever trying to push boundaries and defy genre labelling with every effort.
Opening track 'New Beginning' eases you in relatively well, although an odd choice to begin the album with, and only subtly foreshadows the outright weirdness that the rest of the songs are about to throw at you. What it does share is the raw atmosphere that this entire record gives off. Being the fourth album for the band, it is however only the first to be recorded at Deweze's home studio - and yet with no strict schedule, Sukilove still recorded the entire album live. This is definitely reflected in '4am', brilliantly atmospheric with tinkering electronica, 'Greenwood'-esque guitar and Deweze's vocal delivery adopting a Thom Yorke slur, it's difficult to believe this isn't a Radiohead track.
'Rebel' is literally what is done in this track, starting with gentle chords, it then bursts into a fast paced, heavy riff that franticly works round the delivery of an equally unsteady vocal melody. Clocking in at just shy of three minutes, this song knows it's place, and is a highlight of the album as a short chunk of satisfying, aural angst. After enduring the oddly titled 'Teeth Fitness', which tops two minutes of eerie water noise, comes the single 'Choose Your Gods'. This is arguably the most contemporary effort on 'Static Moves', given the choice to release it in some hope of commercial recognition. The almost tribal main riff and jagged guitar solo still spark that unsettling feeling in the listeners stomach, however it compliments the accessible backing well and works on a level that you won't find elsewhere.
As far as bizarre goes, 'Memory As A Skull' pulls out all the stops. Beginning with whispering of the lyrics panned to the far left and right of the mix, this is something you wouldn't want to listen to through earphones in the dark. The dissonance of the chords as well as a slightly psychotic sounding refrain of the word "memory" render this song as far away from easy listening as possible, and is just outright odd. This said, it is so interesting that it does hold attention, particularly the er... "throat clearing" vocal solo.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE SUKILOVE VIDEOS
'Fear' is definitely a highlight of the album. The drum pattern and grinding bass line sound fantastic, as well as haunting guitar riffs that are strangely likened to a gothic Arctic Monkeys sound. As the track builds up, Deweze's confidence in his vocals follows suit, and he leaves behind the monotonous slurs for a ferocious rasp that culminates in the screaming of "we're all just meat; waiting to die". This is the kind of thing that Sukilove need to make more of, a whole album of this would really be something to look forward to.
Sometimes 'Static Moves' does sound like it's obscure just for the sake of being obscure, and it takes a lot of patience to eventually 'get' - easy listening this is not. Rest assured, there are some great moments here, the fury of 'Fear' and the infectious 'Choose Your Gods' are definitely worth more than just a listen. Let's hope that the future of this band holds such similarities.
Matt Fearon
Sukilove - Static Moves. Released on CD, download & limited edition clear vinyl on 2nd November 2009. www.sukilove.com
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
