It's almost 2008! This has been a great year really. I mean...a lot of non-great things have happened, but I really can't judge my year by those, right? Anyway, I only wrote one thing this week and that is a brief review of Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black" album. It made the top 21 2007 releases for Citypaper, and it was my number 4, so I got to write it up. Because Amy is a hot mess right now, I feel the need to profess how much I love her music, so you will also find a concert review I did in May and also a longer review of "Back to Black" I did for Giant Step in April. I'll put my top 10 for 2007 below too. Enjoy and have a wonderful New Year! xo
PS. If you haven't checked out the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio, you need to do so now...I love her!
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Citypaper Top 21 for 2007, Amy Winehouse - Back to Black, #7, 12/27/07:
While Amy Winehouse is a hot, troubled mess — as I type this, the drugged-out bag of bones is chillin' in a London jail — the brilliance of her U.S. debut can't be denied. Her formula, mixing retro sounds with emotionally accessible lyrics, is infectious. Out of that mangled beehive came commercial hits like overplayed "Rehab" and the Ghostface-laced "You Know I'm No Good," which balanced out lesser-known gems like hip-swaying "Tears Dry on Their Own" and ballad "Love is a Losing Game." Hate on her publicly if you want, but be for real — you know Back to Black is a dope (no pun, no pun) ass album. - Deesha Dyer
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My Citypaper Top 10 for 2007:
Amy Winehouse Frank (Universal Island)
Common Finding Forever (Geffen)
4Hero Play With The Changes (Raw Canvas)
Amy Winehouse Back To Black (Universal Island) [CP Top 21]
Elizabeth Shepherd Trio Besides (Do Right Music)
The Brand New Heavies Elephantitis: The Funk and Soul House Remixes (Delicious Vinyl)
DJ Jazzy Jeff The Return of the Magnificent (Rapster)
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
DJ Junior Excursions (recordbreakin.com)
Ben Westbeech Welcome to the Best Years of Your Life (Brownswood)
Amy Winehouse Frank (Universal Island)
Common Finding Forever (Geffen)
4Hero Play With The Changes (Raw Canvas)
Amy Winehouse Back To Black (Universal Island) [CP Top 21]
Elizabeth Shepherd Trio Besides (Do Right Music)
The Brand New Heavies Elephantitis: The Funk and Soul House Remixes (Delicious Vinyl)
DJ Jazzy Jeff The Return of the Magnificent (Rapster)
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
DJ Junior Excursions (recordbreakin.com)
Ben Westbeech Welcome to the Best Years of Your Life (Brownswood)
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Giant Step, Amy Winehouse, Back to Black Review, 4/2007:
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Giant Step, Amy Winehouse Concert Review, 5/2007:
