walking upstream…
Amy Winehouse
photo: rama · cc by-sa 2.0 fr ↗Amy Winehouse
sourcesWikipedia
Amy Winehouse grew up in North London steeped in her family's jazz records, and after training at the BRIT School emerged in 2003 with the jazz-leaning debut 'Frank.' Her 2006 masterpiece 'Back to Black' fused 1960s girl-group and soul arrangements with brutally candid, contemporary lyrics, making her a defining British voice of the decade before her death in 2011 at twenty-seven. Her beehived, tattooed retro-soul persona and unsparing songwriting reshaped 2000s pop and opened the door for a wave of confessional British singers who followed.
the sound in question
2006
RehabAmy Winehouse
walk the tributaries ↓
Dinah Washington1950s · Jazz / Blues / R&B / Traditional pop
Winehouse frequently named Dinah Washington among her favorite jazz singers, and Washington's crisp diction and sharp, slightly acid emotional edge shaped Winehouse's own phrasing on her ballads.
listen: upstream & here
1959
What a Diff'rence a Day MakesDinah Washington
2007
Love Is a Losing GameAmy Winehouse
listen forSet Washington's 'What a Diff'rence a Day Makes' beside Winehouse's 'Love Is a Losing Game' — both let a small voice sit right on top of a spare, unhurried backing, clipping and shading each syllable so the resignation reads as much in the phrasing as the words.
Ray Charles1950s–60s · R&B / Soul / Jazz
Winehouse cited Ray Charles as an early love and one of her formative influences, and his blend of gospel fervor with blues and swing informs the loose, blues-shouting side of her delivery.
listen: upstream & here
1961
Hit the Road JackRay Charles
2007
You Know I'm No GoodAmy Winehouse
listen forPlay Charles's swaggering, call-and-response 'Hit the Road Jack' before Winehouse's 'You Know I'm No Good' — both ride a strutting, horn-and-rhythm groove while the lead voice trades sly, conversational lines with the backing.
Salt-N-Pepa1980s · Hip hop / Pop rap
Winehouse often said that 1990s hip-hop groups like Salt-N-Pepa and TLC were as central to her upbringing as jazz, and that brash, sexually frank, streetwise attitude surfaces in her cheekier, rhythm-forward songs.
listen: upstream & here
1987
Push ItSalt-N-Pepa
2003
Fuck Me PumpsAmy Winehouse
listen forCue Salt-N-Pepa's 'Push It' next to Winehouse's 'Fuck Me Pumps' — both are wisecracking, swaggering put-downs delivered over a stiff, danceable beat, with the vocalist playing narrator and heckler at once.