one small sound

Because I'm a little bit slow, I only recently figured out that Amy Winehouse is playing a show at the newly opened Highline Ballroom here in NYC this May. However, because I only recently figured it out, my only hope of getting tickets is buying them for $150 a pop on craigslist, which I refuse to do. Looks like I'll have to settle for going into my local H&M and listening to "Rehab" blasted over the speakers, which is what happened when I was there last week. I literally hear the song in every "hip" store I go into. And to fully drive home the fact that Amy is beginning to break in the States, my downstairs neighbour blasts Back to Black constantly. On repeat.

Amy is being touted as "the new Lily Allen", though to be fair, Lily Allen is still the new Lily Allen over here, where Alright, Still... is the big prediction for "album of the summer". If you're one of the thousands of people constantly scouring music blogs, it was actually the album of last summer, but who's counting?

In any case, I fell in love with Amy Winehouse a while after Frank, her 2003 album full of smooth R&B and jazzy ballads, was released. Once Back to Black came out, it became clear that music had something special on its hands. Packed with Motown inspired tunes with contemporary subject matter (Nas and weed among them), the album is a brilliant collection, and I couldn't be happier that she's getting all the attention she recently has started to. The press has her pegged as a bit of a party girl, and Amy herself will admit that she likes to have a good time. She recently cancelled a string of UK gigs after falling down during a drunken night out and cracking a front tooth. Call me a sucker, but doesn't that kind of add to her awkward charm? Not to mention that incredible, soulful voice.

Amy Winehouse - Me & Mr. Jones
Amy Winehouse - Fuck Me Pumps