New Winehouse Material Half-Baked?


Amy Winehouse.

It actually feels good to type her name outside the context of controversy, but that doesn't make this news any better. Shockingly, Amy has been productive in the Caribbean recording new material, yet her label has stamped a big "No Ma'am" on her offerings. A Reggae-inspired soundscape paired with dark, depressing lyrics just aren't cutting with the folks at Island Records . But are they putting her in a box? Is there a such thing as a "box" when it comes to Amy Winehouse? We can't help but wonder. 

A source said: "Amy was very productive during her stay in St. Lucia. She wrote a lot of songs, but the majority of them just aren't hitting the mark. She seems to have ditched her trademark vintage soul sound and is now heavily influenced by reggae. Her bosses don't think it's a wise move to change her style so sharply and have told her that."

The troubled star's demo tracks for her upcoming third album have also been criticised for being "very dark" compared to her previous hits. The source explained: "The lyrics are very dark indeed. While she's known for her conversational style and has been very successful with it, many of the tracks are near the knuckle. "In the past, she's written frequently about broken hearts and boyfriends, but this time round she's delving into harrowing terrain."

Bosses are determined to ensure Amy's upcoming album is matches the success of her 2006 LP 'Back to Black'.

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I'm not sure if they take issue with her employment of Reggae or her execution of it. Two things are to certain, however: One, it would be nice of her to pair Reggae stylings with optimistic lyrics, since some of the best, classic Reggae was about optimism. Or at least get political with it, since that was also a standard in the genre. No one wants to hear her sobbing about Blake Incarcerated over tom-tom drums.
Two, recreating the sound of Back To Black could be the kiss of death, especially since other artists have ran that sound into the ground and summarily taken credit for it. The '60s are over--again.
Personally, after being beat over the head with Back To Black, her first album Frank is like a tall drink of water. It was jazzy, slightly Hip Hop influenced, but mostly modern. At this point, bringing Amy into the present might be the best way to go. At least that will inspire a new hairdo.
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