“Back To Black has a hook as simple as it is irresistible. Winehouse’s boozy, brawling, self-destructive ‘tude is hip-hop and contemporary, but her unashamedly retro sound hearkens giddily back to Motown and girl groups of the ’50s and ’60s. Winehouse might sing about sketchy acquaintances smoking too much of her weed, or a beau who made her miss a Slick Rick concert, but the songcraft is as lush as anything Phil Spector has cooked up.” – The Onion AV Club

“At first the songs on Amy Winehouse’s second album, “Back to Black,” could almost be unknown soul oldies from the 1950s and 1960s. The drums, strings and horns have a vintage production style, and Ms. Winehouse’s tart voice and sly, sultry phrasing sound largely unprocessed. Then the anachronisms kick in, from current slang and beats that hint at hip-hop to four-letter words and blunt references to sex and drugs. A 23-year-old English songwriter, Ms. Winehouse is decades too young for ’60s nostalgia, but she has come up with a wonderfully time-twisted batch of songs.” – New York Times