Amy Winehouse; a precocious talent, a unique personality, a terrific voice, an individual style and a tabloid's dream. The British red tops (the tabloid press) can't get enough of Amy, and what with all the tales of drink, drugs and criminal behaviour, Amy cannot help but invite curiosity. She is an enigma. She's a tiny slip of a lass, with a trademark mussed up beehive hair-do that adds half a foot to her diminutive figure. Contrast this with her sailor tattoos, call girl's wardrobe and feisty loudmouthed opinions on everything and it's easy to see why she's such a magnet for the paparazzi. Drunken antics on TV pop quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks (Nov 16th 2006) sealed her car-crash reputation. You don't want to witness the devastation surrounding the glorious Ms Winehouse, but you just can't help it.

The carnival that surrounds Amy distracts from her music, damages her reputation, and has even begun to alienate fans. At a recent shambolic performance in Birmingham (NIA, 14/11/07) she was booed off stage. This was due to a complete inability to function following the widely reported arrest of her husband Blake Civil-Fielder, who had just been remanded in custody. Consequently the rest of the tour was cancelled. Amy is not gracious in defeat. She's got a mouth like a drain and talks like a South London fishwife. You would never believe such a beautiful voice could possibly come out of such a drunken lush, until she sings...

When she sings she is transformed. When she sings her voice is like warm honey; velvety, husky, full of nuances. When she sings she transcends the ordinary and mundane. She owns her songs in the way Nina Simone did, or Billie Holiday, to whom she is often compared. When she sings, Amy Winehouse seems to be baring her soul.

Rehab was the breakthrough single for British born Winehouse both here and in America. This quirky song is so typically Amy, with its retro feel complimented by biting, modern lyrics. Rehab continues to be sung by Amy live without the merest hint of irony in her voice, even though she has now been to rehab (she said yes, yes, yes). Rehab is included on the brilliant album Back To Black (2006). Featuring blunt, confessional lyrics teamed with a swinging sixties soundtrack, Back To Black brought Amy widespread attention, and deservedly so. With standout tracks such as You Know I'm No Good, Love Is A Losing Game and the title track Back To Black, the album was an instant classic.

Prior to Back To Black, Amy

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