Back to Black
Encyclopedia
Back to Black is the second studio album
by English recording artist Amy Winehouse
, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records
. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music
styles and modern R&B
production, with subjective lyrics that concern relationships and reflect on Winehouse's experiences with drinking, sex, and drugs. The album produced several singles, including "Rehab", "You Know I'm No Good
", "Back to Black
", "Tears Dry on Their Own
", and "Love Is a Losing Game
". Back to Black received generally positive reviews from music critics, earning praise for its classicist soul influences, Salaam Remi
and Mark Ronson
's production, and Winehouse's songwriting and emotive singing style.
At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards
ceremony, Back to Black won five awards, tying the record (with Lauryn Hill
, Alicia Keys
, Beyoncé Knowles
, Norah Jones
, and Alison Krauss
) for the second-most awards won by a female artist in a single ceremony. The album won Best Pop Vocal Album, while "Rehab" won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year
and Record of the Year
with Amy Winehouse winning Best New Artist. The album was also nominated for Album of the Year
.
" samples the backing music from Marvin Gaye
and Tammi Terrell
's 1967 song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
".
On the song "Rehab", Winehouse mentions "Ray" and "Mr. Hathaway", in reference to Ray Charles
and Donny Hathaway
. However, for some time during live performances, she replaced "Ray" with "Blake", referring to her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, who served time in prison for charges relating to grievous bodily harm
.
rendition of the single "Valerie", which was originally only available (in studio form) on Mark Ronson
's Version
album. The first single released from the album on 23 October 2006 was the Ronson-produced "Rehab", a song about her past refusal to attend an alcohol rehabilitation centre
despite prodding by her management company. On 22 October 2006, based solely on download sales
, it entered the UK Singles Chart
at number nineteen and when the physical single was released the following week, it climbed to number seven. By the end of 2007, the album was certified five-time platinum by the BPI
, making it the best-selling album of 2007.
The second single from the album was "You Know I'm No Good". The single was released on 8 January 2007 with a remix featuring rap vocals by Ghostface Killah
. It reached number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart and, in the same week's chart, "Rehab" climbed back up to number twenty. Back to Black was released in the United States in March 2007, with "You Know I'm No Good" as its lead single. A third UK single, "Back to Black", was released on 30 April 2007, and peaked at number twenty-five. "Rehab" rose to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100
the week of 14 June, after a performance of the song at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards
. The following week it peaked at number nine. Two further singles were released from the album. "Tears Dry on Their Own
" was released on 13 August 2007, and peaked at number sixteen in the UK, while "Love Is a Losing Game
", released on 10 December 2007, reached number forty-six.
during the week ending 20 January 2007, its eleventh week on the chart after entering at number three. It spent two weeks at number one and a third non-consecutive week five weeks later. The deluxe edition also spent a week atop the UK chart for the week ending 8 March 2008, its seventeenth week on the chart after entering at number twenty-two. The two albums charted separately at the time and were both in the top ten for the week ending 29 December 2007. As of August 2011, the album has sold 3.26 million copies in the UK, becoming the UK's best-selling album in the 21st century. As of 14 June 2009 it was the eighteenth highest-selling album of all time in the UK (with all versions combined).
It achieved its peak of number one on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending 20 January 2007, and with sales of 1.85 million was confirmed as the UK's biggest-selling album of 2007. Its nearest rival was Leona Lewis
' debut album Spirit
, which finished with 1.59 million copies. On 25 February 2007, Back to Black climbed from a number two position to number one, staying three weeks atop. Between January and July 2007, the album spent twenty-seven consecutive weeks inside the UK top ten. On 14 December 2007, Back to Black was certified six-time platinum in the UK in recognition of over 1.8 million shipments. The album also topped the Irish Albums Chart
for the week ending 17 January 2008.
The album was officially released in the United States on 13 March 2007 via Universal Republic Records. It debuted on the US Billboard 200
at number seven with first-week sales of about 51,000 copies, becoming the highest debut entry for an album by a British female solo artist at the time. Upon the week of release in the US, copies had the same cover as all other versions; however, the following week copies with alternative covers were found in store. Following Winehouse's multiple wins at the 50th Grammy Awards
, the album jumped from number twenty-four to a new peak of number two on the Billboard 200 chart issue dated 1 March 2008, selling 115,000 copies—a 370% jump from the previous week. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
on 10 July 2007 for shipments of more than one million units, becoming the twenty-fourth best-selling album of 2007. It was eventually certified double platinum on 12 March 2008, and has since sold over 2.4 million copies in the United States.
Back to Black saw massive success in mainland Europe; it topped the European Top 100 Albums
chart for thirteen non-consecutive weeks and reached number one in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. In October 2010, the album was certified septuple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, denoting sales in excess of seven million copies across Europe. In Germany, it is the fifth most downloaded album of all time. The album was certified 7x platinum in Austria, making it one of the best-selling albums there.
, which assigns a normalised
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 81, based on 26 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". It received comparisons from critics to Motown-era R&B and soul music. Allmusic writer John Bush gave the album five out of five stars and lauded Winehouse's musical transition from her debut album, stating, "Although Back to Black does see her deserting jazz and wholly embracing contemporary R&B, all the best parts of her musical character emerge intact, and actually, are all the better for the transformation from jazz vocalist to soul siren." Jake Henneman of Crawdaddy!
called its music "sensuous neo-soul and R&B". New Statesman
writer Jude Rogers called it "an astonishing soul record, soaking up the sounds of Motown and 1960s girl groups and spitting them back with panache, glamour and a contemporary twist." The Washington Post
s J. Freedom du Lac wrote that its music "recalls two cultural factories from the past, Motown and Brill Building", but acknowledged its "modernity" and dubbed it a "classic-contemporary mix". Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph
called its music "wall-of-sound bombast with brazenly catchy hooks and smart, modern, soul-scouring lyrics". BBC Music
's Matt Harvey cited it as "[o]ne of the best UK albums of the year". Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian
found it an improvement over her previous album and wrote "this time the music, too, packs a similar punch, and the upshot is a 21st-century soul classic".
Rolling Stone
s Christian Hoard stated, "The tunes don't always hold up. But the best ones are impossible to dislike." In a retrospective 2010 review, Douglas Wolk
of Rolling Stone gave the album four and a half out of five stars and referred to it as "an unlikely marvel, a desperately sad and stirring record whose hooks and production (by Remi and Mark Ronson) are worthy of the soul hall-of-famers she namedrops—'Tears Dry On Their Own' is basically 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough
' recast as self-recrimination". In his review for Blender
, Wolk gave the album three and a half out of five stars and wrote that it "sounds fantastic—partly because the production nails sample-ready '60s soul right down to the drum sound; and partly because Winehouse is one hell of an impressive singer, especially when she's not copping other people's phrasing". Pitchfork Media
's Joshua Klein criticised Winehouse's "defensive", subjective lyrics concerning relationships, but stated, "Fortunately, Winehouse has been blessed by a brassy voice that can transform even mundane sentiments into powerful statements". Reviewing the album's deluxe edition, NME
s Gavin Haynes gave it a 5/10 rating, but expressed that its original release "is worth an 8/10". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album an honourable mention rating, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy".
Entertainment Weekly
s Will Hermes complimented Mark Ronson's "ear for period detail" and wrote that "[i]t's precisely Winehouse's lyrics—smartass, aching, flirty, and often straight-up nasty—that raise this expertly crafted set into the realm of true, of-the-minute originality". Sal Cinqueamni of Slant Magazine
commended Winehouse's "ear for poetry" and described her along with the album's producers as "expert mood-setters or crafty reconstructionists". Victoria Segal of The Times
stated "these are explicit, honest songs [...] For all the old-fashioned warmth of the arrangements, this is an album from a thoroughly modern milieu". The Observer
s Stuart Nicholson stated "it works [...] by dint of its clever melody lines and smart lyrics". Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
called the album "a wonderfully time-twisted batch of songs". The New Yorker
s Sasha Frere-Jones
praised Winehouse's "mush-mouthed approach" and "range and delivery". PopMatters
writer Christian John Wikane stated that "[o]nly a few tracks preclude Back to Black from being uniformly excellent". Wikane felt that Winehouse's "blunt lyrics" contradict the album's "sensibilities of 1960s pop and soul", and wrote "Winehouse is sincere: this particular marriage of words and music mirrors the bittersweet dichotomy that sometimes frames real relationships". The A.V. Club
s Nathan Rabin found Winehouse's lyrics contradictory to the album's musical influences, stating that "[t]here's something beguilingly perverse about the incongruity between Winehouse's trifling lyrical concerns and Back To Blacks wall-of-sound richness".
(number three), Blender
(number eight), Slant Magazine
(number four), Entertainment Weekly
(number two), The New York Times
(number three) and Time
(number one). The album won numerous awards at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year
and Song of the Year
for her hit single "Rehab"; while the album received nominations for Album of the Year
and Best Pop Vocal Album
, winning the latter. Winehouse herself, for the album, was presented the Grammy for Best New Artist
, while Ronson earned the 2008 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
. In July 2007, the album made the shortlist for the 2007 Mercury Prize
. Other nominees included the eventual winners Klaxons
, Dizzee Rascal
, and the incumbent winner Arctic Monkeys
. This is the second time Winehouse has been nominated for the Mercury Prize; her debut album Frank
was shortlisted in 2004. This album was placed at number forty on Rolling Stone
s list of The Top 50 Albums of 2007. Entertainment Weekly critic Chris Willman named Back to Black the second best album of 2007, commenting that "Black will hold up as one of the great breakthrough CDs of our time." He adds, "In the end, the singer's real-life heartache over her incarcerated spouse proves what's obvious from the grooves: When this lady sings about love, she means every word." Rolling Stones list of the 100 Best Albums of the Decade, from 2000–09, ranked the album number twenty.
The song "Rehab" won the Ivor Novello Award
for "Best Contemporary Song" on 24 May 2007. Time magazine named "Rehab" the best song of 2007. Writer Josh Tyrangiel
praised Winehouse for her confidence, opining, "What she is is mouthy, funny, sultry, and quite possibly crazy", adding that "it's impossible not to be seduced by her originality. Combine it with production by Mark Ronson that references four decades worth of soul music without once ripping it off, and you've got the best song of 2007."
reported that the album has re-entered the Billboard 200 chart dated 6 August 2011 at number nine with sales of 37,000 copies in approximately 36 hours from the announcement of her death and next week album surges up to number four with sales of 54,000 copies in full week. In Canada, since her death, the album has sold 2,500 copies, up 2,172% from the previous week. It reached number thirteen on the Canadian Albums Chart
. The following week, it rose number six and sold an additional 5,000 copies. On 25 August, The Official Charts Company announced that Back to Black is now the best-selling album in the UK in the 21st century, with sales of 3.26 million in the UK.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by English recording artist Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
styles and modern R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
production, with subjective lyrics that concern relationships and reflect on Winehouse's experiences with drinking, sex, and drugs. The album produced several singles, including "Rehab", "You Know I'm No Good
You Know I'm No Good
"You Know I'm No Good" a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released as the second single from her second studio album, Back to Black. The track follows in the footsteps of Winehouse's previous singles of a mix of jazz and R&B with her soulful, raspy vocals and this time hip...
", "Back to Black
Back to Black (song)
"Back to Black" is a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse. It was released on April 30, 2007 as the third single from her second studio album, Back to Black. It was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson...
", "Tears Dry on Their Own
Tears Dry on Their Own
"Tears Dry on Their Own" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse for her second studio album, Back to Black . It was released as the album's fourth single on 31 July 2007...
", and "Love Is a Losing Game
Love Is a Losing Game
"Love Is a Losing Game" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse for her second album Back to Black . The track was chosen as the fifth single from the album. It was her last single before her death in July of 2011. The single was released on December 10, 2007 in...
". Back to Black received generally positive reviews from music critics, earning praise for its classicist soul influences, Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
and Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
's production, and Winehouse's songwriting and emotive singing style.
At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
ceremony, Back to Black won five awards, tying the record (with Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, and Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
) for the second-most awards won by a female artist in a single ceremony. The album won Best Pop Vocal Album, while "Rehab" won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year
Song of the Year
Song of the Year may refer to:* Dove Award for Song of the Year* Grammis Song of the Year* Grammy Award for Song of the Year* Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year* Singing News Fan Awards for Song of the Year...
and Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
with Amy Winehouse winning Best New Artist. The album was also nominated for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
.
Background
The track "Tears Dry on Their OwnTears Dry on Their Own
"Tears Dry on Their Own" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse for her second studio album, Back to Black . It was released as the album's fourth single on 31 July 2007...
" samples the backing music from Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell
Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
's 1967 song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...
".
On the song "Rehab", Winehouse mentions "Ray" and "Mr. Hathaway", in reference to Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
. However, for some time during live performances, she replaced "Ray" with "Blake", referring to her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, who served time in prison for charges relating to grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
.
Release and promotion
A deluxe edition of the album was released in Europe on 5 November 2007. The re-issue features the original studio album remastered as well as a bonus disc including various B-sides, rare, and live tracks, including the Live LoungeLive Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
rendition of the single "Valerie", which was originally only available (in studio form) on Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
's Version
Version (album)
-iTunes digital edition:-Japanese CD edition:-Chart performance:-Release history:-External links:* at MetaCritic...
album. The first single released from the album on 23 October 2006 was the Ronson-produced "Rehab", a song about her past refusal to attend an alcohol rehabilitation centre
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
despite prodding by her management company. On 22 October 2006, based solely on download sales
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
, it entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number nineteen and when the physical single was released the following week, it climbed to number seven. By the end of 2007, the album was certified five-time platinum by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, making it the best-selling album of 2007.
The second single from the album was "You Know I'm No Good". The single was released on 8 January 2007 with a remix featuring rap vocals by Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
. It reached number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart and, in the same week's chart, "Rehab" climbed back up to number twenty. Back to Black was released in the United States in March 2007, with "You Know I'm No Good" as its lead single. A third UK single, "Back to Black", was released on 30 April 2007, and peaked at number twenty-five. "Rehab" rose to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
the week of 14 June, after a performance of the song at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards
2007 MTV Movie Awards
The 2007 MTV Movie Awards took place on June 3, 2007 at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California and were hosted by Sarah Silverman. The ceremony featured performances by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, who performed "Umbrella", and Amy Winehouse, who performed "Rehab"...
. The following week it peaked at number nine. Two further singles were released from the album. "Tears Dry on Their Own
Tears Dry on Their Own
"Tears Dry on Their Own" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse for her second studio album, Back to Black . It was released as the album's fourth single on 31 July 2007...
" was released on 13 August 2007, and peaked at number sixteen in the UK, while "Love Is a Losing Game
Love Is a Losing Game
"Love Is a Losing Game" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse for her second album Back to Black . The track was chosen as the fifth single from the album. It was her last single before her death in July of 2011. The single was released on December 10, 2007 in...
", released on 10 December 2007, reached number forty-six.
Commercial performance
During its first two weeks on sale, Back to Black, which entered at number three, sold a total of 70,784 copies in the UK, including 43,021 in its first week. By the end of the year, the album had been certified platinum. Back to Black first reached number one on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
during the week ending 20 January 2007, its eleventh week on the chart after entering at number three. It spent two weeks at number one and a third non-consecutive week five weeks later. The deluxe edition also spent a week atop the UK chart for the week ending 8 March 2008, its seventeenth week on the chart after entering at number twenty-two. The two albums charted separately at the time and were both in the top ten for the week ending 29 December 2007. As of August 2011, the album has sold 3.26 million copies in the UK, becoming the UK's best-selling album in the 21st century. As of 14 June 2009 it was the eighteenth highest-selling album of all time in the UK (with all versions combined).
It achieved its peak of number one on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending 20 January 2007, and with sales of 1.85 million was confirmed as the UK's biggest-selling album of 2007. Its nearest rival was Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
' debut album Spirit
Spirit (Leona Lewis album)
Spirit is the debut album by British singer Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008...
, which finished with 1.59 million copies. On 25 February 2007, Back to Black climbed from a number two position to number one, staying three weeks atop. Between January and July 2007, the album spent twenty-seven consecutive weeks inside the UK top ten. On 14 December 2007, Back to Black was certified six-time platinum in the UK in recognition of over 1.8 million shipments. The album also topped the Irish Albums Chart
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
for the week ending 17 January 2008.
The album was officially released in the United States on 13 March 2007 via Universal Republic Records. It debuted on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number seven with first-week sales of about 51,000 copies, becoming the highest debut entry for an album by a British female solo artist at the time. Upon the week of release in the US, copies had the same cover as all other versions; however, the following week copies with alternative covers were found in store. Following Winehouse's multiple wins at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
, the album jumped from number twenty-four to a new peak of number two on the Billboard 200 chart issue dated 1 March 2008, selling 115,000 copies—a 370% jump from the previous week. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on 10 July 2007 for shipments of more than one million units, becoming the twenty-fourth best-selling album of 2007. It was eventually certified double platinum on 12 March 2008, and has since sold over 2.4 million copies in the United States.
Back to Black saw massive success in mainland Europe; it topped the European Top 100 Albums
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...
chart for thirteen non-consecutive weeks and reached number one in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. In October 2010, the album was certified septuple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, denoting sales in excess of seven million copies across Europe. In Germany, it is the fifth most downloaded album of all time. The album was certified 7x platinum in Austria, making it one of the best-selling albums there.
Critical response
Back to Black received general acclaim from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalised
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 81, based on 26 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". It received comparisons from critics to Motown-era R&B and soul music. Allmusic writer John Bush gave the album five out of five stars and lauded Winehouse's musical transition from her debut album, stating, "Although Back to Black does see her deserting jazz and wholly embracing contemporary R&B, all the best parts of her musical character emerge intact, and actually, are all the better for the transformation from jazz vocalist to soul siren." Jake Henneman of Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
called its music "sensuous neo-soul and R&B". New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
writer Jude Rogers called it "an astonishing soul record, soaking up the sounds of Motown and 1960s girl groups and spitting them back with panache, glamour and a contemporary twist." The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s J. Freedom du Lac wrote that its music "recalls two cultural factories from the past, Motown and Brill Building", but acknowledged its "modernity" and dubbed it a "classic-contemporary mix". Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
called its music "wall-of-sound bombast with brazenly catchy hooks and smart, modern, soul-scouring lyrics". BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
's Matt Harvey cited it as "[o]ne of the best UK albums of the year". Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
found it an improvement over her previous album and wrote "this time the music, too, packs a similar punch, and the upshot is a 21st-century soul classic".
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Christian Hoard stated, "The tunes don't always hold up. But the best ones are impossible to dislike." In a retrospective 2010 review, Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Nation, The New Republic, Salon.com, Pitchfork Media, and The Believer...
of Rolling Stone gave the album four and a half out of five stars and referred to it as "an unlikely marvel, a desperately sad and stirring record whose hooks and production (by Remi and Mark Ronson) are worthy of the soul hall-of-famers she namedrops—'Tears Dry On Their Own' is basically 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...
' recast as self-recrimination". In his review for Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, Wolk gave the album three and a half out of five stars and wrote that it "sounds fantastic—partly because the production nails sample-ready '60s soul right down to the drum sound; and partly because Winehouse is one hell of an impressive singer, especially when she's not copping other people's phrasing". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Joshua Klein criticised Winehouse's "defensive", subjective lyrics concerning relationships, but stated, "Fortunately, Winehouse has been blessed by a brassy voice that can transform even mundane sentiments into powerful statements". Reviewing the album's deluxe edition, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s Gavin Haynes gave it a 5/10 rating, but expressed that its original release "is worth an 8/10". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album an honourable mention rating, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy".
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Will Hermes complimented Mark Ronson's "ear for period detail" and wrote that "[i]t's precisely Winehouse's lyrics—smartass, aching, flirty, and often straight-up nasty—that raise this expertly crafted set into the realm of true, of-the-minute originality". Sal Cinqueamni of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
commended Winehouse's "ear for poetry" and described her along with the album's producers as "expert mood-setters or crafty reconstructionists". Victoria Segal of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
stated "these are explicit, honest songs [...] For all the old-fashioned warmth of the arrangements, this is an album from a thoroughly modern milieu". The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
s Stuart Nicholson stated "it works [...] by dint of its clever melody lines and smart lyrics". Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the album "a wonderfully time-twisted batch of songs". The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
s Sasha Frere-Jones
Sasha Frere-Jones
Sasha Frere-Jones is an American writer, music critic, and musician. He has written for Pretty Decorating, ego trip, Hit It And Quit It, Mean, Slant, The New York Post, The Wire, The Village Voice, Slate, Spin, and The New York Times...
praised Winehouse's "mush-mouthed approach" and "range and delivery". PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
writer Christian John Wikane stated that "[o]nly a few tracks preclude Back to Black from being uniformly excellent". Wikane felt that Winehouse's "blunt lyrics" contradict the album's "sensibilities of 1960s pop and soul", and wrote "Winehouse is sincere: this particular marriage of words and music mirrors the bittersweet dichotomy that sometimes frames real relationships". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Nathan Rabin found Winehouse's lyrics contradictory to the album's musical influences, stating that "[t]here's something beguilingly perverse about the incongruity between Winehouse's trifling lyrical concerns and Back To Blacks wall-of-sound richness".
Accolades
Back to Black was named one of the ten best albums of 2006 and 2007 by several publications on their year-end albums lists, including The Austin Chronicle (number four), BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
(number three), Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
(number eight), Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
(number four), Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
(number two), The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
(number three) and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
(number one). The album won numerous awards at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
for her hit single "Rehab"; while the album received nominations for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
and Best Pop Vocal Album
Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop music albums...
, winning the latter. Winehouse herself, for the album, was presented the Grammy for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
, while Ronson earned the 2008 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1975. The award had several minor name changes:*from 1975 to 1977, the award was known as Best Producer of the Year...
. In July 2007, the album made the shortlist for the 2007 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
. Other nominees included the eventual winners Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
, Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, and the incumbent winner Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
. This is the second time Winehouse has been nominated for the Mercury Prize; her debut album Frank
Frank (Amy Winehouse album)
Frank is the debut studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released 20 October 2003 on Island Records. Production for the album took place during 2002 to 2003 and was handled by Winehouse, Salaam Remi, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth and Matt Rowe...
was shortlisted in 2004. This album was placed at number forty on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of The Top 50 Albums of 2007. Entertainment Weekly critic Chris Willman named Back to Black the second best album of 2007, commenting that "Black will hold up as one of the great breakthrough CDs of our time." He adds, "In the end, the singer's real-life heartache over her incarcerated spouse proves what's obvious from the grooves: When this lady sings about love, she means every word." Rolling Stones list of the 100 Best Albums of the Decade, from 2000–09, ranked the album number twenty.
The song "Rehab" won the Ivor Novello Award
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
for "Best Contemporary Song" on 24 May 2007. Time magazine named "Rehab" the best song of 2007. Writer Josh Tyrangiel
Josh Tyrangiel
Josh Tyrangiel is a journalist, and editor of Bloomberg Businessweek. He joined the magazine following its acquisition by Bloomberg L.P. in December 2009. Prior to joining Bloomberg Businessweek, Tyrangiel was deputy managing editor of TIME magazine and managing editor of TIME.com...
praised Winehouse for her confidence, opining, "What she is is mouthy, funny, sultry, and quite possibly crazy", adding that "it's impossible not to be seduced by her originality. Combine it with production by Mark Ronson that references four decades worth of soul music without once ripping it off, and you've got the best song of 2007."
Posthumous success
Following Winehouse's death on 23 July 2011, sales of the album drastically increased across the world. The album shot to number one on iTunes charts in nearly every country. In her native UK, the album re-entered the UK chart on 24 July 2011 at number fifty-nine within only seven hours of sales after the announcement of her death counting towards the respective week's chart figures. The following week, the album soared back to number one, marking the fourth time the album has reached the top spot. The following day, the album re-entered the New Zealand Albums Chart at number twenty. On 26 July 2011, BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reported that the album has re-entered the Billboard 200 chart dated 6 August 2011 at number nine with sales of 37,000 copies in approximately 36 hours from the announcement of her death and next week album surges up to number four with sales of 54,000 copies in full week. In Canada, since her death, the album has sold 2,500 copies, up 2,172% from the previous week. It reached number thirteen on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
. The following week, it rose number six and sold an additional 5,000 copies. On 25 August, The Official Charts Company announced that Back to Black is now the best-selling album in the UK in the 21st century, with sales of 3.26 million in the UK.
Track listing
"Addicted" does not appear on the US version of the album and is instead replaced with a remix of "You Know I'm No Good" which features guest vocals from Ghostface Killah.Personnel
- Amy Winehouse – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - John Adams – organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, RhodesRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS.... - Ade – backing vocals
- Troy Auxilly-Wilson – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Victor AxelrodVictor AxelrodVictor Axelrod aka Ticklah is a Brooklyn native and independent music producer and artist, who has been a continual and integral part of the NYC music scene for over a decade. As an artist he is a founding member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, and the Easy Star...
– clapsClappingA clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
, WurlitzerWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York... - Harry Benson – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Mark Berrow – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Dave Bishop – baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
- Rachel Bolt – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Thomas Brenneck – guitar
- Raye Cosbert – managementTalent managerA talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
- Chris DavisChris Davis (musician)Chris Davis is a British singer and guitarist in Nottingham based Shoegaze band Spotlight Kid, as well as a drummer with Six By Seven. Davis has also stood in on drums for Spiritualized in 2002 when Kev Bales fell ill.-External links:****...
– alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Shomari "Sho" Dillon – assistant engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Gleyder "Gee" Disla – assistant engineer
- Liz Edwards – violin
- Richard EdwardsRichard Edwards (musician)Richard Edwards is a London-based classical and jazz trombone player as well as composer/arranger.His professional career includes:* Numerous film, recording sessions, television and radio productions...
– tenor trombone - Chris Elliott – orchestra arrangement and conductingConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
- Tom ElmhirstTom ElmhirstTom Elmhirst is a British specialist music producer and mix engineer. He began his career at SARM studios in the early 90s at a time when digital audio was already becoming mainstream. Elmhirst’s experiences at SARM and with Trevor Horn have clearly influenced his current working methods...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Cochemea Gastelum – baritone saxophone
- Jesse Gladstone – assistant engineer
- Phil Griffin – US cover photography
- Isobel Griffiths – orchestra contractor
- Binky Griptite – guitar
- Dave Guy – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Peter Hanson – violin
- John Heley – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Ian Hendrickson-Smith – baritone saxophone
- Vincent Henry – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, celestaCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, guitar, piano, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, tenor saxophone - Alex Hutchinson – designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
- Joely Koos – cello
- Sam Koppelman – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Boguslaw Kostecki – violin
- Alex Lake – photography
- Andy Mackintosh – alto saxophone
- Mike Makowski – assistant engineer
- Vaughan Merrick – claps, engineer
- Perry Montague-Mason – violin, orchestra leader
- Dom MorleyDom MorleyDom Morley is a sound engineer and producer.He started his career in the late 1990s at DEP International Studios in Birmingham before moving to London in 1999 to take a position at Metropolis Studios. Here he worked his way up through the ranks, engineering for such producers as Tony Visconti, Phil...
– engineer - Nick MovshonNick MovshonNick Movshon is a bass guitarist, drummer and producer. He is best known for his work with British soul star Amy Winehouse and producer Mark Ronson...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Everton Nelson – violin
- Gary "G Major" Noble – mixing
- Derek Pacuk – engineer
- Matt Paul – engineer, mixing assistant
- Tom Piggott-Smith – violin
- Anthony PleethAnthony PleethAnthony Pleeth, born in 1948 in London, is an English cellist, specialising in the historically informed performance of music of the 18th and 19th centuries on period instruments.-Biography and career:...
– cello - Bruce Purse – bass trumpetBass trumpetThe bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B today, but is sometimes built in E and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixth or a ninth lower than written, depending on the...
, flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, trumpet - Jonathan Rees – violin
- Salaam RemiSalaam RemiSalaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
– bass, drums, guitar, piano, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, upright bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Mishca Richter – photography
- Frank RicottiFrank RicottiFrank Ricotti is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist.Ricotti played in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while a teenager, then attended Trinity College of Music...
– percussion - Mark RonsonMark RonsonMark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
– band arrangement, claps, engineer, producer, snapsSnap (fingers)Snapping one's fingers is the act of creating a cracking/clicking sound with one's fingers. Primarily this is done by building tension between the thumb and another finger and then moving the other finger forcefully downward so it hits the palm of the same hand at a high speed...
, tambourine - Gabriel RothBosco MannGabriel Roth is the bass player, bandleader, primary songwriter and producer of the band Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. He is also a co-founder of the Daptone Records label....
– band arrangement, engineer - Steve SidwellSteve Sidwell (musician)Steve Sidwell is a conductor, composer, and instrumentalist specialising in swing music. Renowned as an arranger and composer, Steve, has featured on numerous albums, television shows, advertising campaigns and films with his distinctive and innovative orchestrations and compositions.He is also a...
– trumpet - Mike SmithMike Smith (saxophonist)Mike Smith is an English musician. He is an arranger, composer, conductor, studio musician, and keyboardist, but specializes in saxophone.Smith studied jazz and contemporary music at the Leeds College of Music, from which he graduated in 1988...
– tenor saxophone - Franklin Socorro – engineer
- Homer Steinweiss – drums
- Neal Sugarman – tenor saxophone
- Jamie TalbotJamie TalbotJames Robert "Jamie" Talbot is an English jazz alto saxophonist.Talbot played with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and then with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while young.He attended the Royal College of Music in 1978-79, then recorded throughout the decades of the 1980s and 1990s with...
– tenor saxophone - Jon ThorneJon ThorneJon Thorne is an English double bassist.Born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire he lived in Zimbabwe from the age of 6 to 11 and is now based in Whalley Range, Manchester. He is self taught and started playing in his early twenties...
– viola - Chris Tombling – violin
- Helen Tunstall – harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
- Bruce White – viola
- Katie Wilkinson – viola
- James Wisner – mixing assistant
- ZalonZalonZalon Thompson is a British pop singer, songwriter and record producer, currently singing backing vocals known most famously for this work with Amy Winehouse as her lead singer, and featuring on her Grammy Award winning album, DVD and single.-Early life:...
– backing vocals - Warren Zielinski – violin
Weekly charts
| Chart (2007–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Wallonia) |
2 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
4 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 4 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
1 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 2 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
1 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
1 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
3 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
1 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
23 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
1 |
| Polish Albums Chart Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
1 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
1 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
4 |
| US Top Alternative Albums | 2 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
Gold |
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
3× Platinum |
| Austria | 7× Platinum |
| Belgium Belgian Entertainment Association The Belgian Entertainment Association is the organization that represents the interests of the music, video and video game industries in Belgium... |
3× Platinum |
| Brazil Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
Diamond |
| Canada Music Canada Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:... |
Platinum |
| Denmark IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
3× Platinum |
| Europe | 7× Platinum |
| Finland Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland ry, or Musiikkituottajat for short, is the umbrella organization of recording producers active in Finland, with 23 record labels as its members.-Activity:... |
Platinum |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
2× Platinum |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
6× Platinum |
| Greece IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
Platinum |
| Hungary Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
Platinum |
| Italy Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
Gold |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Gold |
| Netherlands NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... |
5× Platinum |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
2× Platinum |
| Norway | Platinum |
| Poland Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry is the organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry... |
2× Platinum |
| Portugal Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
2× Platinum |
| Russia | 2× Platinum |
| Spain | 2× Platinum |
| Sweden | Platinum |
| Switzerland | 7× Platinum |
| Turkey | Gold |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
8× Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
2× Platinum |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2007) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 29 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 30 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 5 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 40 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 4 |
| European Top 100 Albums | 2 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 1 |
| French Albums Chart | 6 |
| German Albums Chart | 17 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 58 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 29 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 18 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 24 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 31 |
| Worldwide | 2 |
| Chart (2008) | Position |
| Australian Albums Chart | 24 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 4 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 8 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 1 |
| European Top 100 Albums | 1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 14 |
| French Albums Chart | 7 |
| German Albums Chart | 1 |
| Greek Foreign Albums Chart | 4 |
| Greek Domestic and Foreign Albums Chart | 25 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 25 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 13 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 5 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 3 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 25 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 43 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 42 |
| Worldwide | 7 |
| Chart (2009) | Position |
| European Top 100 Albums | 85 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–09) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 4 |
| UK Albums Chart | 3 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 27 October 2006 | Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
Standard |
| United Kingdom | 30 October 2006 | ||
| Germany | 21 November 2006 | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
|
| Canada | 12 December 2006 | ||
| France | 29 January 2007 | ||
| Italy | 2 February 2007 | ||
| Australia | 24 February 2007 | ||
| United States | 13 March 2007 | Universal Republic Records | |
| Germany | 15 June 2007 | Universal Music | Limited |
| Japan | 5 September 2007 | Standard | |
| Canada | 13 November 2007 | Deluxe | |
| Australia | 17 November 2007 | ||
| Ireland | 23 November 2007 | Island Records | |
| Germany | 30 November 2007 | Universal Music | |
| United Kingdom | 3 December 2007 | Island Records | |
| Japan | 6 February 2008 | Universal Music | |
| Italy | 29 February 2008 |
External links
- Back to Black at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Back to Black at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...