Let's talk jazz...
And I don't mean smooth jazz, elevator music...I mean Ella, Etta, Dizzie, Louis, heck even Christina (you can't deny that even though she spent her teen years baring her midriff and singing "Genie in a Bottle" her jazz phase was nuts!). One of the great talents out there right now is Amy Whinehouse.
Now, I know what you're thinking: she's constantly drugged-up and getting busted for punching a fan or assaulting a cop or something of the like...however, her true genius is muddied by her recent (last 2 years, I believe?) behavior and new-found habits and posse. The great jazz singer Amy Whinehouse did not sing "Rehab," though that track is pretty killer...she recorded an album called Frank.
What is Frank, you ask? It is a collection of Pseudo-jazz standards mixed in with jazzy pop. It's more relaxed and chill (aka drug- and crazy husband-free) and stays true to the roots of jazz. One of her songs on the album even pays homage to the classic "Lullaby of Birdland"! How cool is that! Now, for those of you who are worried that pre-arrest Amy is not feisty Amy, do not frett! There's still plenty of 'tude to spare...i.e. "F*** Me Pumps" (yes that's a song!). It's basically the jazz-pop-british version of P!nk's "Stupid Girls." In addition, she's got some beautiful stuff, like "You sent me flying" and "I heard love is blind." You can almost picture her in a long satin dress in a smoky bar somewhere with pin-curls and a martini in one hand, mic in another. The sound quality is also special, as she plays to the 1930s vibe set up in a few of the tracks.
So, though she may be a little...erm...under the weather now, she did make a record that did not have to be as modified and that show-cased her true talent as a jazz vocalist! That's not to say that Back to Black isn't a great record, because it is...it's just more R&B and a bit more produced. Frank is Amy raw, uncut, fabulous.
Thoughts???
More soon...
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I try to dissociate what an artist does in his private time from his art. However, jazz to me is synonymous with class. Most of the greats were addicted to drugs while on top, but it was still done in class. Maybe privacy these days is different than that time, and maybe those guys had a message, not sure how to pin it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Rehab and think Amy is talented. I never heared about Frank, maybe one day I will check it out.