I haven’t had a Music Pick of the Week for a while, but those of you who have read this segment will know that I typically attempt to promote relatively unknown acts. This week takes a little different turn, this week I want to talk about Amy Winehouse.
Winehouse has been on the music scene for some time, her debut album, Frank, was released in 2003. In spite of this, I had never heard of her until her new single, Rehab, hit the airwaves in recent weeks. First impressions were of a Macy Gray type artist, but this not true at all.
Amy Winehouse is a Jewish Jazz Singer from London. Think Norah Jones with an attitude. I do not claim to be any Jazz expert, and I’m sure there are many that consider Winehouse a parody of the traditional Jazz singers of the 40s and 50s, but if that is so she has taken the mimicry to an extreme. Her look, sound, instrumentation and even her penchant for controversy and substance abuse is remincent of some of the Jazz greats.