Is Amy Winehouse talented?

[onoffon]

Quote:Guys,After a certain age (hey I'm there too ), it's natural to rail against today's artist and long for those of our youth. Rock'n'roll hasn't changed, it's just that we cannot stand the noise and the gimmicks anymore . Frankie Avalon, Pat Boone, The Monkeys...Common it wasn't all about talent and pipes in the old days VermeerSo funny you say this... I never liked Avalon, Boone, or the Monkees.Popular tripe has always been popular tripe... there's always been an undercurrent of great music overshadowed by the crap the industry forces down our throats. You could certainly choose to listen to Charlie Parker or Nat King Cole instead of Frankie Avalon or Pat Boone in the 50's; Buffalo Springfield in 1966 and Pink Floyd in 1967 were releasing their first albums while The Monkees were in their heyday. Of course, your individual tastes may vary.While the mainstream focuses on what they consider 'marketable' - there is always a thriving underground music scene - just as there is today...

[ibanez468]

Quote:Rubbish Young people have iPods + The Internet with huge memories and the ability to skip to the good stuff right away. They have access to the best songs of all times, not just the latest hits. In my days, we had limited access to music and could only buy the stuff that was there at the local mall and K-Tel compilations from the mail - Yuk! If I had the choice they have now, I too would be listening to the best of "all time". OK, flame me now Not necessary. I'm in agreement with you. Don't know if you were part of this thread, but check it out. You can see where this all came from.http://taxi.proboards27.com/index.cgi?a ... 1ibanez468

[sgs4u]

Originally posted by my friend Jo, on another forum.Song of the Year---Rehabfyi- link is fixed nowQuote:Mark Ronson, who produced "Rehab" for Winehouse's Back to Black LP, recently recalled working on the track, and said the tune started off as a complaint, spawned by a conversation during a break from recording sessions. The two were working at his studio and decided to take a quick stroll around the neighborhood, during which Winehouse started telling Ronson about some of her personal problems."Amy came into my studio in New York one day, and we really hit it off and got some ideas going pretty quick, so she stayed in New York for two weeks to work," he recalled. "Most of the time, she was coming in and writing songs on the guitar, and we decided we wanted to go for this '60s soul/girl-group sound that we both loved, and we started making her songs fit with that."We were walking down the street," he continued, "and she's telling me a story about her family or something coming over to [her home], to kind of talk some sense into her. And she was like, 'They tried to make me go to rehab, and I told them no, no, no,' and she put her hand up. "I guess, as a friend, I should have been like, 'Oh my God, that must have been hard for you.' But as a producer, I was just like, 'That sounds hooky — you should go back to the studio and we should turn that into a song.'"As soon as they were back in the studio, Ronson said Winehouse came up with the hook, "but it started out as a slow blues shuffle — it was like a 12-bar blues progression, and I said, 'I think it would be fun for the verse to put in those like Beatles-esque E-minor, A-minor chords, which would give it that jangly feeling. So she did."Winehouse, Ronson said, wasn't accustomed to writing songs in this manner, as most of what she did was based around jazz chords. "She wrote it so quick, in like three hours, and we worked on it a bit," Ronson said. Not long after, Winehouse and Ronson called on the Dap Kings, the Brooklyn, New York-based band whose vintage-R&B-worshipping sound gives the record its '60s soul flavor. "Amy and I were in my studio, and I'm playing all the instruments and using every digital trick in the book to make the song sound old, and I remembered hearing the Dap Kings record the day before," the producer recalled. "I played it for Amy and said, 'We should just get these guys to play the sh--, it'll be great.' She said, 'Sounds good to me,' and we went in and did it with them." The group ended up performing on all six Ronson-produced songs on the album.Winehouse and Ronson dug the song, but the reaction from the singer's British label took the producer by surprise. "I played it for her A&R guy a week later, and he came to New York to check up on us — to see how much of his money we were wasting," he recalled with a laugh. "And I'll tell you, English A&R guys are a bit more excitable than American A&R guys. We played the record for him, and in the first 15 seconds, he was like, 'Rewind that! Rewind that! That sh--'s amazing!' I didn't think it was a bad song and I enjoyed what we were working on — but I'd never made a hit record before, so I didn't know that was something I might actually be capable of."Ronson figured the song's old-school sound automatically ruled out its commercial possibilities in the U.S. "I mean, it just doesn't sound like anything else out there, and I couldn't imagine why that it would be a hit on the radio," he said, adding, "I'm not surprised that Amy took off, because I can see it from a completely subjective view. If I had nothing to do with it, and saw Amy sing, I could understand why it would be big in England. I was surprised, but in a proud way, when it started blowing up in England, but when it started to come back here and started to make some noise in America, I was shocked."Apparently the shock has worn off, since Ronson said he believes the song is a strong contender to win the Record of the Year Grammy, where it's up against Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable," the Foo Fighters' "The Pretender," Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around ... Comes Around." (Look for stories on all of those songs appearing here in MTV News throughout the week.)"When you look at that list, and think about what songs might be on the radio in 20 years from now, for better or worse, its probably going to be 'Rehab' and 'Umbrella,' " he said. "I think Amy deserves to win, but it's always hard to tell. You can't listen to that song and think anything else but she owns it and no one else could have sung that. It's her voice and her lyrics that make that record. Listening to that song now, you can't imagine anyone else singing it — it's just her song."It's basically the theme song of modern-day celebrity trash culture," he reflected. "Amy wasn't trying to be ironic, she just wrote it from a completely personal place. It very much feels like if there ever was a moment for the institution of rehab ... it's definitely been around these past two years, and as much as I think Perez Hilton and those things are complete and utter rubbish, and ruin the classic medium of reporting, I understand the controversy did help this record in some sort of way." SourceThe Grammy's have never been about who has the most talent. It seems to me there are always arguments and discussions about who should be allowed to win. Defining "talented" is like using the word amazing... it means something different for everybody. However, I rapt attention to anyone who sells millions of records. and Rob, I sure like the points you make...Quote:I think you guys are forgetting something. There are many different roles to be played in the music industry. Musicians, Singers, Producers, Songwriters, performers, entertainers etc... No one said you have to be able to do it all.Sure, Amy Winehouse would not win on American Idol, neither would Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Robert Plant or thousands of other singers i love to listen to. The thing is, BEFORE Amy W. was in all the papers smoking crack and being 100% insane, she made a very good record. I heard a lot about it and bought her album about 9 months ago. It's great, has a very motown vibe, but definitely modern. Now I am not a fan of her persona, and i have not seen any of her liver performances, but I think with the right team(producers/band) she can be great.As for the grammys, i stopped paying attention to that a long time ago.

[liamkelly]

Quote:Guys,After a certain age (hey I'm there too ), it's natural to rail against today's artist and long for those of our youth. Rock'n'roll hasn't changed, it's just that we cannot stand the noise and the gimmicks anymore . Frankie Avalon, Pat Boone, The Monkeys...Common it wasn't all about talent and pipes in the old days VermeerVermeerI am totally gutted that you think Davy Jones didn't have pipes

[jameii]

Quote:I know what you guys are saying & I agree to some degree. I'm only saying that pop music in general seems to be lacking any kind of edge lately, which is what Amy seems to have. I'm really not a fan of hers but given the options of what's out there........Young people are listening to music that I grew up on. I think that says a lot about the shape of the industry these days. Rap & Hip Hop were supposed to be the new Rock & Roll, but even that has become watered down & frivolous. WadeAnd Amy looked messed up; I don't care what her publicist says.Hey Wade...I'm hearing you loud and clear....she is DIFFERENT and there is an element of "real" in her music. That said, while more real than 1/2 the crap mainstream radio has on it, she is still a far cry from what we've seen in former days and hopefully what we'll see again.The world IS waiting for Change as John Mayer put so well...I hope it happens SOON!!!!!I agree she was MESSED UP..she barely knew what was happening...sad really.

[arkjack]

Remember that NARAS is the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In that vein, there is a lot more than just the song and the entertainer that sings it. In the end though, it is what Steve said, that when you listen close, with an open mind, and comparative to the choices, you hear things that are 'amazing'. The visual and performance part isn't what the award is for. Note that (as far as I know) Winehouse is probably not up for nomination for an ASCAP or BMI songwriter award, or a musicianship recognition. I enjoy watching the Grammys, and being a member I am always very humbled by the talent, knowledge, and contributions of these colleagues. And I do believe that it is possible for anyone of us to reach that level of 'amazing'.ArkJack

[ajenkz]

I love Amy Winehouse. Shes not a perfect singer, but you can't say shes no good at what she does. She has a very unique style and tone, and it fits what she does perfectly. Shes not always quite up to par, but then again she does have moments of genius. A comparison of her and Janis Joplin would probably be pretty fair; Janis is looked at as a musical genius by many, but she was far from perfect most of the time. Watch these videos of Amy:http://youtube.com/watch?v=lqSKVv6YO8gh ... CbIMzZsThe first two are from an acoustic radio performance, and the 3rd is a song from her first CD, Frank. Theres no denying there that she is actually very good at what she does.As far as the throwback sound, I see nothing wrong with it at all, and its what i'm all about. Every kind of music is really just a derivative of something else, like blues coming from spirtuals and rock and roll come from blues, and so on. Recylcing the old sounds and making them into modern hits is both nothing new or nothing bad.Also, there really aren't a whole lot of young people into the throwback sound. I'm one of the few people I know my age that knows most of the old artists from Soul/R&B. If anything, people listen to the most well known rock bands like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, and thats more of a trend thing. I see a lot more 50 cent and Britney Spears on my friends iPods than I see Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, and even Amy Winehouse for that matter.

[ggalen]

I thought she sounded pretty good on the 3rd one. Much better than her Grammy appearance. Maybe she was strung out in the Grammy performances.

[ajenkz]

The first record was done before all of the drugs started taking over. If you watch old videos/look at old pictures from that time, shes actually pretty normal acting and looking.

[jchitty]

I think it's a reflection of the times that we'd even be having this discussion. Years ago, people didn't even care if musicians were on drugs. It was their own private business, and as long as they were able to perform, we were happy. I don't care about a musician's personal life. Just like I didn't care about Bill Clinton's personal life, it's the same in politics...as long as someone is doing their job, that's fine by me. You didn't have 24-7 infotainment channels and paparazzi making bucks off these folks' private lives.....the media had more class back then.....yeah, there have always been a few tabloid rags around, but now, the culture is saturated with this crap.I love Amy Winehouse too, although I'll confess our dear Squiddy's voice is even better than hers. But Amy's retro style is injecting a little more authenticity back into the commercial market again, the place we most need it. To me, it's about the music, not how high someone got the night before. Leave that stuff to the gossips.