Back to Black is the second studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released 4 October 2006 on Island Records. It 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.. Muze. Retrieved on 26 August 2010. 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 positive reviews from most 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. To date, Back to Black has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Background

The track "Tears Dry on Their Own" samples the backing music from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 smash hit, Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

On Winehouse's song Rehab, she mentions "Ray" and "Mr Hathaway", in reference to Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway. However, for some time, 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. The Wall Street Journal 9 May 2007. Accessed 9 May 2007

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 Lounge 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. The Sun 27 October 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2007. 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. The popular track, entitled "Rehab", however, has been questioned to be promoting drugs and alcohol, and was almost taken off her album, due to it. "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. The album is the number 1 selling album in the UK for 2007, selling over 1.5 million copies in the year and number 1 international album in Greece.

Reception

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 (300,000 copies shipped, with 297,703 actually sold). Back to Black went to number one on the UK Albums Chart numerous times from January 2007 having entered at number three upon its release in late October 2006. As of 28 December 2008, the original album has sold around 2,114,372 copies in the UK (reaching the million mark on 13 June 2007 and passing the two-million mark in the week of 25 February 2008), and for the week ending 27 January 2007, sold 30,000 copies more than any other album. If sales of the deluxe edition of the album (released in November 2007) are combined, the UK sales of the album amount to 2,985,303 copies, as of 14 June 2009. Back to Black is ranked as the 18th best selling album of all-time in her native country, as well as both 4th by an album recorded by a female artist and by an album released in the 21st Century.http

It achieved its peak of number one on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending 20 January 2007, and with sales of 1,586,194 was confirmed as the UK's biggest-selling album of 2007 (selling its millionth 2007 copy in the week of 17 September 2007). Its nearest rival was Leona Lewis' debut album Spirit, which finished with 1,550,037. 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 peaked at number 1 on the Irish Album Chart and on 28 September 2008, it celebrated its 100th week in the Top 50

The deluxe edition of the album, released on 5 November 2007 with a bonus disc of B-sides, covers, and live songs, has sold around 785,328 copies in the UK to date, as of 28 December 2008. It debuted at number twenty-two on the UK Albums Chart, and climbed to number nine in its seventh week. The deluxe edition of the album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart on 24 February 2008 with the original album at number twelve. On 2 March 2008, the deluxe edition climbed to number one on the UK Albums Chart. As of 22 June 2008, the two albums combined have spent a total of 90 weeks in the UK charts.

In December 2006 the album was released in Canada and on 3 February 2007 in Australia. It was released in the United States officially on 13 March 2007 via Universal Republic. The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number seven, selling about 51,000 copies in its first week on the chart,Katie Hasty, , Billboard.com, 21 March 2007. becoming the highest debut entry for an album by a British female solo artist at the time. Following her multiple Grammy wins however, the album has since reached a new peak of #2 in the US the following week after her grammy performance. In Spain Back to Black was the first Amy Winehouse album to top the chart after selling about 100,000 copies and staying in the top 50 for 33 weeks. It was certified Platinum there. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in August for shipments of more than one million, making it the twenty-third best-selling album of 2007.Jonathan Cohen, , Billboard.com, 19 June 2007. Upon the week of release in the U.S., copies had the same cover as all other versions, however, the following week copies with alternative covers were found in store. During the week of 16 February 2008, following the week of the "Grammys", Back To Black jumped 24-2 on the Billboard 200, selling 115,000 copies, almost a 370% jump from the prior week. In the Netherlands and Austria the album topped the charts after, respectively, a 54 and 50 week chart-run.

In Germany, the album stayed in the official Albums Chart for 119 weekshttp and is the fifth most downloaded album of all time there.http

Critical response

Back to Black received general acclaim from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized 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.Hoard, Christian (22 February 2007), "Back to Black". Rolling Stone (1020):76Rogers, Jude 2006-12-11, "Year of the woman". New Statesman. 135 (4822):36-38Mason, Kerri (17 March 2007), "Back to Black". Billboard. 119 (11):51 Allmusic writer John Bush gave the album 5 out of 5 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".Bush, John. . Allmusic. Retrieved on 21 January 2011. Jake Henneman of Crawdaddy! called its music "sensuous neo-soul and R&B".Henneman, Jake (6 August 2010). . Crawdaddy!. Retrieved on 26 August 2010. 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 Posts J. Freedom du Lac wrote that its music "recalls two cultural factories from the past, Motown and Brill Building", but acknowledged its "modernity" and called it a "classic-contemporary mix".Lac, J. Freedom du. . The Washington Post. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph called its music "wall-of-sound bombast with brazenly catchy hooks and smart, modern, soul-scouring lyrics".Brown, Helen. . The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. BBC Online's Matt Harvey cited it as "one of the best UK albums of the year".Harvey, Matt. . BBC Online. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. 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".Lynskey, Dorian. . The Guardian. Retrieved on 13 June 2010.

Rolling Stones Christian Hoard stated "The tunes don't always hold up. But the best ones are impossible to dislike".Hoard, Christian. . Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. In a retrospective 2010 review, Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone gave the album 4½ out of 5 stars and called it "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".Wolk, Douglas. . Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. In his review for Blender, Wolk gave the album 3½ out of 5 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".Wolk, Douglas. . Blender. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. Pitchfork Media's Joshua Klein criticized 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".Klein, Joshua. . Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. Reviewing the album's deluxe edition, NMEs Gavin Haynes gave it a 5/10 rating, but expressed that its original release "is worth an 8/10".Haynes, Gavin. . NME. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave the album an honorable mention () rating,Christgau, Robert. "". MSN Music: June 2007. Archived from on 13 June 2010. indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy".Christgau, Robert. . Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 15 June 2009.

Entertainment Weeklys Will Hermes complimented Mark Ronson's "ear for period detail" and wrote "It'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".Hermes, Will. . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. 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".Cinquemani, Sal. . Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. 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".Segal, Victoria. . The Times. on 13 June 2010. The Observers Stuart Nicholson stated "it works... by dint of its clever melody lines and smart lyrics".Nicholson, Stuart. . The Observer. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. Jon Pareles of The New York Times called the album "a wonderfully time-twisted batch of songs".Pareles, Jon. . The New York Times. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. The New Yorkers Sasha Frere-Jones praised Winehouse's "mush-mouthed approach" and "range and delivey".Frere-Jones, Sasha. . The New Yorker. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. PopMatters writer Christian John Wikane stated "only a few tracks preclude Back to Black from being uniformly excellent". Wikane viewed 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".Wikane, Christian John. . PopMatters. Retrieved on 13 June 2010. The A.V. Clubs Nathan Rabin found Winehouse's lyrics contradictory to the album's musical influences, stating "There's something beguilingly perverse about the incongruity between Winehouse's trifling lyrical concerns and Back To Blacks wall-of-sound richness".Rabin, Nathan. . The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 13 June 2010.

Accolades

Back to Black was named one of the ten-best albums of 2006 by several publications on their year-end albums lists, including The Austin Chronicle (number four), Billboard Magazine (number three), Blender Magazine (number eight), Slant Magazine (number four), Entertainment Weekly (number two), The New York Times (number three). Metacritic. Retrieved 23 January 2008. and Time Magazine (number one).Time Magazine. . Retrieved 27 January 2008. 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; Ronson himself earned the 2008 Grammy Award for "Producer of the Year, Non-Classical".(6 December 2007). Los Angeles Times'.' Retrieved 6 December 2007. In July 2007, the album made the shortlist for the 2007 Mercury Music 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 Music Prize; her debut album Frank was shortlisted in 2004. This album was ranked number forty on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.ROBERT CHRISTGAU, DAVID FRICKE, CHRISTIAN HOARD, ROB SHEFFIELD (17 December 2007). Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 December 2007. Entertainment Weekly critic Chris Willman ranked Back to Black #2 in the 10 BEST 'Records of the Year: Music' writing, "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". VH1 named the album 10th Greatest Record Ever Made. Rolling Stones list of 100 Best Albums of the Decade, from 2000–2009, ranked the album at number 20.

The song "Rehab" won the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Contemporary Song" on 24 May 2007. ninemsn 27 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-27. Time magazine named "Rehab" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at #1. Writer Josh Tyrangiel praised Winehouse for her confidence, opining, “What she is is mouthy, funny, sultry, and quite possibly crazy” and, "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."Tyrangiel, Josh; "The Best Top 10 Lists of the Year"; "The 10 Best Songs"; Time magazine; 24 December 2007; Page 39.

*Accolades procession and succession

Personnel

* Vocals – Amy Winehouse

* Background vocals – Amy Winehouse, Zalon, Ade, Heshima

* Bass guitar – Nick Movshon, Salaam Remi

* Upright bass – Salaam Remi

* Drums – Homer Steinweiss, Troy Auxilly-Wilson, Salaam Remi

* Guitars – Amy Winehouse, Thomas Brenneck, Binky Griptite, Vincent Henry, Salaam Remi

* Piano – Salaam Remi, Victor Axelrod, Vincent Henry

* Wurlitzer – Victor Axelrod

* Claps – Victor Axelrod, Mark Ronson, Vaughan Merrick

* Tenor trombone – Richard Edwards

* Alto saxophones – Andy Mackintosh, Chris Davis, Vincent Henry

* Tenor saxophones – Neal Sugarman, Jamie Talbot, Mike Smith, Vincent Henry

* Baritone saxophones – Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Dave Bishop, Vincent Henry, Cochemea Gastelum

* Trumpets – Dave Guy, Steve Sidwell, Bruce Purse

* Bass trumpet – Bruce Purse

* Flugelhorn – Bruce Purse

* Clarinet & Bass clarinet – Vincent Henry

* Celesta – Vincent Henry

* Flute – Vincent Henry

* Violins – Perry Montague-Mason, Chris Tombling, Mark Berrow, Warren Zielinski, Liz Edwards, Boguslav Kostecki, Peter Hanson, Jonathan Rees, Tom Piggott-Smith, Everton Nelson

* Violas – Bruce White, Jon Thorne, Katie Wilkinson, Rachel Bolt

* Cellos – Anthony Pleeth, Joely Koos, John Heley

* Harp – Helen Tunstall

* Rhodes & Organ – John Adams

* Snaps– Mark Ronson

* Percussion – Frank Ricotti, Sam Koppelman

* Tambourine – Mark Ronson, Troy Auxilly-Wilson

* Band arrangement – Mark Ronson, Gabriel Roth

* Orchestral arrangement and Conducting – Chris Elliott

* Orchestra leader – Perry Montague-Mason

* Orchestra contractor – Isobel Griffiths

* Engineer - Dom Morley

Charts

Chart positions

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Release history

References

Artist/Band Information

Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983) People.com. is an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, and jazz. Winehouse is best known for her powerful contralto vocals The Observer. 2007. and substance abuse and mental health issues. BBC.com. 29 August 2007. In 2005, she went through a period of drinking, heavy drug use, violent mood swings and weight loss.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album Frank was critically successful in the UK, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album Back to Black led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British singer to win five Grammys,. BBC Worldwide America. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.Winehouse, Alex (13 February 2008). . The Times. including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She has won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other prestigious distinctions. The album was the third biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom. Winehouse has agreed to form a group with The Roots drummer ?uestlove.

Winehouse has been credited as being an influence in the rise in popularity of female musicians and soul music and revitalising British music. Winehouse's distinctive style has been the muse for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld. The singer's problems with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as self-destructive behaviour, have become regular tabloid news since 2007. She and her former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were plagued by legal troubles that left him serving prison time. In 2008, Winehouse faced a series of health complications that threatened both her career and her life.

Early life

Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of north London to a Jewish family Mitch Winehouse, My Daughter Amy who were the source of her interest for jazz.Mulholland, Garry. The Observer. 1 February 2004. Retrieved on 28 October 2006. She was raised in a family of four: her father Mitchell (taxi driver), her mother Janis (pharmacist), and her older brother Alex.Eliscu, Jenny. (14 June 2007), Rolling Stone. (1028):58–69. Retrieved 14 December 2007. Mitchell would constantly sing around the house, often singing Frank Sinatra to young Amy, who also took to a constant habit of singing to the point that teachers found it difficult keeping her quiet in class.Sanderson, Elizabeth. Daily Mail. 18 August 2007. Retrieved on 1 July 2008.

When Winehouse was nine years old, her grandmother, Cynthia, suggested she attend the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School for further training.Sandall, Robert. The Times. 27 July 2008. At age ten, Winehouse founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with childhood friend Juliette Ashby. She stayed at the Earnshaw school for four years before seeking full time training at Sylvia Young Theatre School, but was allegedly expelled at 14 for "not applying herself" and for piercing her nose. With other children from the Sylvia Young School, she appeared in an episode of The Fast Show in 1997. She later attended the BRIT School in Selhurst, CroydonBraddock, Kevin. The Independent 28 January 2007. Accessed: 17 May 2008. and attended Southgate School and Ashmole School., The Gay & Lesbian Awards, Retrieved 27 May 2009.

Career

Early career

After toying with her brother's guitar, Winehouse received her first guitar when she was 13, and began writing music a year later. She began working soon after, including as a showbiz journalist for the World Entertainment News Network, in addition to singing with a jazz band. Her sometimes boyfriend at the time, soul singer Tyler James, sent her demo tape to an A&R person. Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002. While being developed by the management company, the artist was kept an industry secret. Her future A&R at Island/Universal, Darcus Beese, heard her by accident when the manager of The Lewinson Brothers showed him some productions of his clients on which Winehouse featured as vocalist. When he asked who the singer was the manager told him he was not allowed to say. Having decided that he wanted to sign her it took several months of asking around for Beese to eventually discover who the singer was. By this time Winehouse had already recorded a number of songs and signed a publishing deal with EMI. Through the publishers she formed a working relationship with the producer Salaam Remi.

Beese introduced Winehouse to his boss, Nick Gatfield, and the Island head shared his enthusiasm in signing the young artist. Winehouse was signed to Island/Universal as rival interest in Winehouse had started to build, with representatives at EMI and Virgin also starting to make moves. Beese told HitQuarters that he felt the reason behind the excitement over an artist who was an atypical pop star for the time was due to a backlash against reality TV music shows with audiences becoming starved for genuine young talent.

Major label success

Amy Winehouse 2.jpgthumb250pxleftPerforming at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City

Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released on 20 October 2003. Produced mainly by Salaam Remi, many songs were influenced by jazz and, apart from two covers, every song was co-written by Winehouse. The album received positive reviews. Google.com. Retrieved on 20 November 2006.Lindon, Beccy. The Guardian. 17 October 2003. Retrieved on 4 November 2006. with compliments over the "cool, critical gaze" in its lyricsBush, John. . allmusic.com. Retrieved on 4 November 2006. and brought comparisons of her voice to Sarah Vaughan,Boraman, Greg. . BBC.co.uk. 27 November 2003. Retrieved on 4 November 2006. Macy Gray and others.

The album entered the upper levels of the UK album chart in 2004 when it was nominated for BRIT Awards in the categories of "British Female Solo Artist" and "British Urban Act". It went on to achieve platinum sales.. Retrieved on 28 October 2006. Later in 2004, she won the Ivor Novello songwriting Award for Best Contemporary Song, alongside Salaam Remi, with her contribution to the first single, "Stronger Than Me".. ASCAP.com. Retrieved on 28 October 2006. The album also made the short list for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. In the same year, she performed at the Glastonbury festival, on the Jazzworld stage, and at the V Festival. After the release of the album, Winehouse commented that she was "only 80 percent behind album" because of the inclusion by her record label of certain songs and mixes she disliked.

International success

In contrast to her jazz-influenced former album, Winehouse's focus shifted to the girl groups of the 1950s and 1960s. Winehouse hired New York singer Sharon Jones's longtime band, the Dap-Kings to back her up in the studio and on tour.Sisario, Ben. New York Times. 29 September 2007. Retrieved on 13 December 2007. In May 2006, Winehouse's demonstration tracks such as "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab" appeared on Mark Ronson's New York radio show on East Village Radio. These were some of the first new songs played on the radio after the release of "Pumps" and both were slated to appear on her second album. The 11-track album was produced entirely by Salaam Remi and Ronson, with the production credits being split between them. Ronson said in a 2010 interview that he liked working with Winehouse because she was blunt when she did not like his work. Promotion of Back to Black soon began, and in early October 2006, Winehouse's official website was re-launched with a new layout and clips of previously unreleased songs. Back to Black was released in the UK on 30 October 2006. It went to number one on the UK Albums Chart numerous times, and entered at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It was the best-selling album in the UK in 2007, selling 1.85 million copies over the year.. BBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2010.

The album spawned a number of singles. The first single released from the album was the Ronson-produced "Rehab". The song reached the top ten in the UK and US.. acharts.us. 18 December 2007. Time magazine named "Rehab" one of the 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at number one. Writer Josh Tyrangiel praised Winehouse for her confidence, opining, "What she is mouthy, funny, sultry, and quite possibly crazy" and, "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."Tyrangiel, Josh. Time.com. The album's second single and lead single in the U.S., "You Know I'm No Good", was released in January 2007 with a remix featuring rap vocals by Ghostface Killah. It ultimately reached number 18 on the UK singles chart. The title track, "Back to Black", was released in the UK in April 2007 and peaked at number 25, but was more successful across mainland Europe.. acharts.us. Retrieved 30 August 2007. "Tears Dry on Their Own", "Love Is a Losing Game" and "Just Friends" were also released as singles, but failed to achieve the same level of success.. acharts.us. Retrieved 30 August 2007.

A deluxe edition of Back to Black was also released on 5 November 2007 in the UK. The bonus disc features B-sides, rare, and live tracks, as well as "Valerie". Winehouse's debut DVD I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London was released the same day in the U.K. and 13 November in the U.S. It includes a live set recorded at London's Shepherds Bush Empire and a 50-minute documentary charting the singer's career over the previous four years. Universal Republic Records Press release. 2 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007. Frank was released in the United States on 20 November 2007 to positive reviews.Friskics-Warren, Bill. Washington Post 20 November 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.Toombs, Mikel. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007. The album debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200 chart.Harris, Chris. MTV.com. 28 November 2007. Retrieved on 13 December 2007. In addition to her own album, she has collaborated with other artists on singles. Winehouse was a vocalist on the song "Valerie" on Ronson's solo album Version. The song peaked at number two in the UK, upon its October single release. The song was nominated for a 2008 Brit Award for "Best British Single". ilikemusic.com Retrieved 13 December 2007.Colothan, Scott. . Hi-HopElements.com. 26 November 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.. ilikemusic.com. Retrieved on 13 December 2007. Her work with ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, "B Boy Baby," was released on 17 December 2007. It served as the fourth single from Buena's solo debut album Real Girl.. egigs.co.uk. 14 January 2008.

Continued success and acclaim

Amy Winehouse f5104871.jpgthumb250pxrightPerforming at Eurockéennes 2007

By year's end, Winehouse had garnered numerous accolades and awards. The singer won 2008 Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Rehab", while her album Back to Black was nominated for Album of the Year and won the Best Pop Vocal Album award. Los Angeles Times. Producer Mark Ronson's work with her won the award in the Producer of the Year Non-Classical category. Los Angeles Times. The singer also earned a Grammy in the Best New Artist category. This earned Winehouse an entry in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Grammy Awards won by a British Female Act.. She performed "You Know I’m No Good" and "Rehab" at the awards ceremony via satellite, as her visa approval came through too late for her to travel to the U.S. She said "This is for London because Camden town is burning down," in reference to the Camden Market fire.Gamboa, Glenn. Newsday. 11 February 2008. After the Grammy Awards, album sales increased catapulting Back to Black to number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 after initially peaking at number seven.Martens, Todd. Los Angeles Times. 20 February 2008. On 13 January 2008, Back to Black held the number one position on the Billboard Pan European charts for the third straight week. Billboard.com. 14 January 2008. In January 2008, Universal Music International said it believed that there was a correlation between number of albums sold and the extensive media coverage the singer had received.Colothan, Scott. Gigwise.com. 31 January 2008.

Amy Winehouse Eurockeennes 2007.jpgthumb190pxleftPerforming at Eurockéennes in Belfort, Territoire de Belfort, France on 29 June 2007 A special deluxe edition of "Back to Black" topped the UK album charts on 2 March 2008. The original edition of the album resided at the number 30 position, in its 68th week on the charts, while "Frank" charted at number 35. NME.com. 2 March 2008. By 12 March, the album had sold a total of 2,467,575 copies, 318,350 of those in the previous 10 weeks, putting the album on the UK's top 10 best-selling albums of the 21st century for the first time. NME.com. 12 March 2008. On 7 April, "Back to Black" was residing at the top position on the pan-European charts for the sixth consecutive and thirteenth aggregate week.. Back to Black was the world's seventh biggest selling album for 2008.. These sales helped keep Universal Music's recorded music division from dropping to levels experienced by the overall music market. The Times. 2 September 2008.

At the 2008 Ivor Novello Awards, Winehouse became the first artist to receive two nominations for the top award, best song, musically and lyrically. She won the award for "Love Is a Losing Game" and was nominated for "You Know I'm No Good". The Times. 23 May 2008. "Rehab", a Novello winner for best contemporary song in 2006, also received a 2008 nomination for bestselling British song. The Guardian. 22 April 2008. Winehouse was nominated for a MTV Europe Award in the Act of The Year category.. Amy Winehouse – The Girl Done Good: A Documentary Review, a 78-minute DVD, was released on 14 April 2008. The documentary features interviews with those who knew her at a young age, helped her gain success, jazz music experts, as well as music and pop culture specialists.. Underground Online.. Amazon.co.uk. A clip of Winehouse's music is included in the "Roots and Influences" area that looks at connections between different artists at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, which opened in December 2008. One thread starts with Billie Holiday continues with Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and finishes with Winehouse.. Newark Star Ledger. 4 December 2008. In a poll of United States residents conducted for VisitBritain by Harris Interactive that was released in March 2009, one fifth of those polled indicated they had listened to Winehouse's music during the previous year. United Press International. 13 March 2009. Winehouse performed with Rhythms del Mundo on their cover of the Sam Cooke song "Cupid" for an Artists Project Earth benefit album that was released on 13 July 2009..

Current projects

Winehouse and Mark Ronson have contributed a cover of Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" for the Quincy Jones tribute album Q Soul Bossa Nostra scheduled for 11 November 2010 release. Winehouse and drummer ?uestlove of the Roots have agreed to form a group. Winehouse's problems obtaining a visa have delayed the still unnamed group from working together. Producer Salaam Remi has already created some material with Winehouse as part of the project. According to a newspaper report, Universal Music pressed her regarding new material in 2008. According to that same report Winehouse as of 2 September had not been near a recording studio. It was noted that she had touring obligations during the summer and also that if an album was quickly recorded, it would be at least a year before an album could be released. In late October, Winehouse's spokesman was quoted as saying that Winehouse has not been given a deadline to complete her third album, for which she is learning to play drums. Virgin Media. 3 November 2008.

During her 2009 stay in St. Lucia Winehouse worked on new music with producer Salaam Remi. It was claimed by Island that a new album would be due in 2010, Island co-president Darcus Beese said, "I've heard a couple of song demos that have absolutely floored me".However the album is yet to be released., 'BBC News'. 9 October 2009. In July 2010 Winehouse was quoted as saying her next album would be released no later than January 2011, which has since passed, saying “It’s going to be very much the same as my second album, where there’s a lot of jukebox stuff and songs that are… just jukebox, really.” Mark Ronson said in July 2010 that he had not started to record the album.

According to The Sun website, Amy's third album is complete and ready for release.