Music sales may be dwindling, but record labels are still able to exert some power over the artists that record for them. First, the Klaxons were
asked to go back
and re-record the follow-up to their
Myths of the Near Future
album, with their label claiming they had strayed too far from their pop roots. Now, Amy Winehouse is faced with the same dilemma, with her label reportedly rejecting material for her follow-up to
Back to Black
.
Winehouse has been in the Caribbean, where she has been demoing new songs in an attempt to put her alleged drug use and marital problems behind her. A “source” has spoken to UK tabloid the Daily Mirror, saying: “Amy was very productive during her stay in St Lucia. She wrote a hell of a lot of songs, but the majority of them just aren’t hitting the mark.”
The decision to let Winehouse travel to the Caribbean to work on her music seems distinctly ill advised, and brings back memories of Happy Mondays’ crack-addled trip to Barbados to record their third album,
Yes Please!
. “She seems to have ditched her trademark vintage soul sound and is now heavily influenced by reggae," said the source. “Her bosses don’t think it’s a wise move to change her style so sharply and have told her that.” Perhaps Winehouse is simply following the lead of Serge Gainsbourg, who famously recorded two reggae albums (including a reggae-fied version of the French national anthem) in Jamaica in the late '70s. [
Contact Music
]
Is there anyone really eagerly anticipating this? I think she sort of captured everyone's attention for that 3 month period, and everyone quit on her. Plus, her performance at Lolla in 2007 was easily one of the worst concerts I've ever seen.
I'd love to hear the reggae stuff. I'm picturing insane 12-minute long dubbed out tracks with Winehouse wailing "Blaaake" over the top. That would be fantastic.
In the battle between Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, Allen won. Just like Prince beat Michael Jackson, except two decades earlier.
March 23, 2009 at 3:41 p.m.
Arven
Well, good luck with this. The recording is a year or so late, 'performing' is but a memory (and often a bad one), she's consumed & sidetracked by personal drama, and she's so off-the-radar that she needs a comeback (and can't seem to pull it off).
March 23, 2009 at 3:41 p.m.
Miranda
I can’t wait to hear the new album. I love her vintage sound, but this seems like a new and interesting approach/experiment. Anyway didn’t she already do sort of sing some Jamaican sounding songs, like “Monkey Man.” Does that count as Reggae? haha
her b-sides from the last album were a little reggae flavored. but i still say that amy will fade into oblivion. saw her perform in philly when she was touring that album. pure definition of "hot mess."
Not surprised she's going this route. Her first two albums sound nothing alike. She's also been doing ska covers live for sometime now. The execs want another Back To Black, but that's just not Amy's style to do the same thing over again. I'm pretty sure the new stuff sounds just fine.
September 1, 2009 at 1:51 a.m.
TJMac
I can't help it, I love her. She has a unique voice, and she sings from her soul.
Music sales may be dwindling, but record labels are still able to exert some power over the artists that record for them. First, the Klaxons were
asked to go back
and re-record the follow-up to their
Myths of the Near Future
album, with their label claiming they had strayed too far from their pop roots. Now, Amy Winehouse is faced with the same dilemma, with her label reportedly rejecting material for her follow-up to
Back to Black
.
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