# Amy Winehouse. My first exposure **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411 "2009-10-28T07:37:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/1 "2009-10-28T07:37:54Z")
Okay, I admit that I’m not hip to the latest trends in music. All I know about Amy Winehouse is what I hear _about_ her. Which is jokes about her drug use on Jay Leno. So I searched for her albums on Amazon and listened to a few samples of her songs. And I gotta tell you I’m really impressed. She seems to have a good handle on soul music from the 60s even though that was way before her time. And the voice tells me she’s been influenced by somebody from that era and that’s what’s driving me crazy. Just who am I hearing? Man, I know that style and it’s on the tip of my brain but I can’t bring it out. I’m hearing Esther Phillips. Am I on the right track? ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/2 "2009-10-28T12:36:32Z")
Ronnie Spector. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/3 "2009-10-29T18:26:16Z")
I finally heard her from a link on this board. I just thought she was a skank with really big hair. Her voice is great, but it won’t last (because she won’t). ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/4 "2009-10-29T19:54:01Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Okay, I admit that I’m not hip to the latest trends in music. All I know about Amy Winehouse is what I hear _about_ her. Which is jokes about her drug use on Jay Leno. So I searched for her albums on Amazon and listened to a few samples of her songs. And I gotta tell you I’m really impressed. She seems to have a good handle on soul music from the 60s even though that was way before her time. And the voice tells me she’s been influenced by somebody from that era and that’s what’s driving me crazy. Just who am I hearing? Man, I know that style and it’s on the tip of my brain but I can’t bring it out. I’m hearing Esther Phillips. Am I on the right track? Sarah Vaughan. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/5 "2009-10-29T22:21:55Z")
Yeah, that’s it. She’s got the soul of Ronnie Spector and the smokieness of Sara Vaughn. And I hope she doesn’t burn herself out because she truly has talent. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/6 "2009-10-30T00:08:15Z")
She’s a perpetual favorite for major points in the Celebrity Death Pool. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/7 "2009-10-30T01:11:42Z")
Y’know, I had the same reaction. I was browsing the CD rack at the library (at the library?? yes, the library!!), saw her CD, and thought what the heck, I’ll give it a try on the drive home…and yes indeed, that smoky, louche voice of hers was the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/8 "2009-10-30T03:55:31Z")
She is VERY good, and it makes it all the sadder that she’s currently trying so very hard to destroy herself. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/9 "2009-10-30T04:21:22Z")
Yeah, I heard her before I knew anything about her. Blew me away. Same thing for Fiona Apple: I heard her first album as a white-label promo, zero information about her. Thought she was a 45yrold black woman. This is why I don’t participate in any trashing of either woman. Sure, I see they’re legit targets for disdain, but since their music spoke to me first I feel I have to give them the respect their music earns and I don’t badmouth them. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/10 "2009-10-30T04:29:09Z")
Her album Back In Black is really good. I got it before I heard about her personal problems. It’s sad that her reputation has overshadowed her music for a lot of people. From what I understand, she is doing better than she was a year ago. I hope she can recover well enough to find peace, if not make more good music. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/11 "2009-11-28T13:36:32Z")
I heard her for the first time tonight- she was doing a Carol King number. Not bad but not great. I fail to see what is so special about her. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/12 "2009-11-28T14:21:31Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I heard her for the first time tonight- she was doing a Carol King number. Not bad but not great. > > I fail to see what is so special about her. [This](http://roflrazzi.com/upcoming/?pid=25556) may help you understand. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/13 "2009-11-28T15:17:31Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I heard her for the first time tonight- she was doing a Carol King number. Not bad but not great. > > I fail to see what is so special about her. So you’re judging her talent on the basis if one hearing of one song? Listen to the album Back to Black and get back to us. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/14 "2009-11-28T15:42:39Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I heard her for the first time tonight- she was doing a Carol King number. Not bad but not great. Was it live? A contemporary performance? Coz she’s lost a hell of a lot of singing ability over the past two or three years for lifestyle reasons. ☹ More importantly, she’s a singer-songwriter. Better to judge her on the strength of something she wrote herself, rather than her performing a cover version. Try watching/listening to [You Know I’m No Good](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll7UFxqI2pM), which is one of my favourites, recorded just before she smoked so much crack she lost any semblance of her quirky hotness. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-my-first-exposure/515411/15 "2009-11-28T19:57:55Z")
I’ve listened to a bunch of her songs (I have 17 of them on my iTunes, 10 of which are from “Back To Black”), and my conclusion - she’s good, but not special. Her songs are not getting better the more often I listen to them - they’re fading away into mediocrity. The only one I still really like is “Back To Black.”