Amy Winehouse (aka the white Lauryn Hill)

She's been buzzing around for quite some time, but Amy Winehouse is on the brink of exploding. Her latest album Back to Black was released in the United States in October of 2006, but her latest single "Back to Black" is about to become her new hit and I just can't get enough.

Originally from the UK, Amy Winehouse is no looker. From every photo I've seen, she's either ghetto sultry or hippie ugly. From tattoos on her arms to the Monroe in her upper lip to the dramatic eye makeup, Winehouse portrays the outfit of a teeth-clenched gangster. However, listening to her album without seeing her face depicts nothing more than a young woman with a lot of issues. While listening to her sophomore album, she sounds like Lauryn Hill and....Lauryn Hill. Her voice is undoubtably the powerhouse white chick version of the famous Fugee. Although her voice is uncanny, her music sounds like Aretha Franklin.

Ok, so she's Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, and to top it off, she's got the blues. Yes, more than one man has scorned this precious pile of ammunition and let off a raging woman drinking her way through each song. She's got a Janis Joplin in her too. Since her catchy tune, "Rehab", everyone has been talking about the girl who just says "no, no, no." And when there's hits, there's money. And when there's money, there's the hords of hot guys who want to bang her so she can write another amazing hit. I think it was Scarface who quoted it the best, "First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women." And so the cycle goes.

Here's some lyrics to her new single, "Back in Black":

We only said goodbye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to

Black, black, black, black, black, black, black,
I go back to
I go back to

And so the ensuing number of days passes before this little lady becomes the biggest thing since, well, Lauryn Hill. I know I've been piling on the Lauryn Hill references throughout this little review, but I thought that the people should know. Maybe I should put more emphasis on Amy Winehouse. Ok, here it goes.

She's great. Listen to her voice and you will never guess it was coming from a British white girl. Listen to it again and you'll never think a woman could be so tortured by a man. Listen even further and you are awed at the amazing power of music to heal the human soul! (This might not be the case for everyone, but it's a definite for Amy Winehouse).

And I leave you with the video for her new single "Back to Black"