Why was Amy Winehouse's voice so unique?

We ask a professional singer

Amy Winehouse. Picture: Getty

By Rosie Pentreath

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Eight years after popular jazz singer Amy Winehouse’s death, we enlist an expert to reflect on her powerful and frankly irreplaceable voice.

Amy Winehouse tragically died on 23 July 2011 at the age of 27.

The popular jazz singer shot to stardom in 2003 after her first studio album, Frank, was released and won her a raft of nominations and awards, including the Ivor Novello that year.

Winehouse was immediately distinctive, both in terms of music – in an era dominated by girl and boy bands hers was an incredible, authentic and big-selling jazz voice carrying the most original lyrics out – and style, with her winged eyeliner, beehive hair and growing collection of tattoos.

More than Frank, it was Back to Black that solidified Winehouse’s place firmly comfortably-alongside-but-also-outside jazz, and into popular culture and mainstream mass consciousness.

Tony Bennett with Amy Winehouse in 2010. Picture: Getty

Singles ‘Rehab’, ‘Back to Black’ and ‘You Know I’m No Good’ were among those that made her huge. Later came ‘Valerie’, the Mark Ronson-produced cover Winehouse did of Liverpool Indie band, The Zuton’s song in 2007.

What ensued for the singer was a life under the spotlight plagued by paparazzi chases, pressure from tabloids and fame shadowed by ultimately destructive behaviours.

Alongside all of this was, of course, that voice. It always came back to that utterly unmatched, rare and modern-yet-powerfully-nostalgic— jazz voice she had.

“The week before Amy Winehouse died, I heard Tony Bennett on the radio saying what a joy it had been to record with her, and acclaiming her as one of the finest jazz singers he’d ever heard,” Classic FM presenter and professional soprano Catherine Bott says. “He said he looked forward to future collaborations – but it wasn’t to be.”

Amy Winehouse performs live in London in 2008. Picture: Getty

Before her incredibly sad death, Winehouse performed and recorded with Bennett for his studio album, Duets II, which also happens to feature the most famous timeless voices you can think of, from Michael Bublé and Andrea Bocelli, to Lady Gaga and Norah Jones.

“Jazz wasn’t the repertoire I associated with Amy, back then,” Catherine Bott admits. “But thinking about it, Bennett was right: she had one of those voices that's instantly recognisable.”

Below, Catherine offers deeper insight into some of Amy Winehouse’s voice in some of her best loved songs.

1. ‘Rehab’

   ‘Rehab’ was everywhere in 2006 and after. The massive track took Winehouse’s voice into the realms of mainstream pop/RnB and was an incredible display of powerful vocals and soulful expression.
   “She made every note – every word – deeply personal in this song,” Bott says.

2. ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’

   From the power behind the opening ‘Rehab’ lyrics – “They tried to make me go to rehab / I said no, no, no” – Winehouse’s voice could go as vulnerable and soft as anything.
   “In her cover of Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Someone to watch over me’, the vulnerability in her singing is incredibly touching,” Bott tells us. “She is a great artist.”
   Even though Winehouse’s voice evokes a nostalgic trad jazz feel, it’s as fresh and modern in this song as all of Amy’s work. Stunning.

3. ‘You Know I’m No Good’

   ‘You Know I’m No Good’ is Amy’s jazz voice at its best married to the beats and edge of a modern banger ­– ooh, that catchy brass riff gets us every time.
   Her voice carries all the wavers and jazzy grace notes we love. And then that emotion she packs. Just – wow.

4. ‘Valerie’

   Paired up with Mark Ronson and his band, Winehouse turned The Zuton’s soft indie rock ‘Valerie’ into a rhythmic and sultry, jazz-soul number.
   If she wasn’t going to be remembered in music history forever (which of course she was – she sits in that rare category of modern genius never forgotten), she would with ‘Valerie’.
   It’s tricky to find someone you say ‘Valerie’ to who won’t sing it in the Winehouse jazz version way sooner than they would the indie original.

How many albums did Amy Winehouse release?

Amy Winehouse released two studio albums: Frank in 2003 and Back to Black three years later in 2006. She also appeared on Tony Bennett’s 2011 Duets II and other compilations since.

How did Amy Winehouse die?

Amy Winehouse tragically died from accidental alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011 at the age of 27. She was found at her home in Camden, London by her body guard, who was unable to rouse her from what at first appeared to be deep sleep.

She was a one-of-a-kind artist and we have no doubt we’re joined by jazz, pop and just universal music fans in general in saying we’re devastated we couldn’t hear more.s

Seven Pieces of Classical Music Inspired by Walking

Classical pieces inspired by walking. Picture: Tumblr

By Helena Asprou, ClassicFM London

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From sweet-sounding duets to magnificent concertos, here are seven classical works inspired by hilly hikes and leisurely strolls.

1. The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave), Mendelssohn

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Composed in 1830, this spectacular tone poem written by Felix Mendelssohn was inspired by his travels to the British Isles – particularly the island of Staffa on Scotland’s west coast, which is home to Fingal’s Cave. Written in B minor and originally titled Die einsame Insel (The Lonely Island), the concert overture is intended to set a scene for the cave’s unusual echoes. It consists of two main themes – the opening notes are initially played only by the violas, cellos and bassoons, suggesting solitude, while the second theme depicts the sea.

2. Seven Days Walking, Einaudi

Earlier this year, Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi unveiled his ambitious plan to release seven albums in seven months. He was inspired to create the collection, titled Seven Days Walking, after a walk in the Alps. It's signature Einaudi in terms of sound, and each selection of pieces portrays a different aspect of his wintery wander. Dreamy moments like a reflection of the moon on snow, and tracks left behind in the snow by foxes, are imagined in the music.

3. In the Hall of the Mountain King, Grieg

This orchestral masterpiece was penned in 1875 by Edvard Grieg as incidental music for Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 fantasy play, Peer Gynt. Enduringly popular, its stomping main theme – played by cellos, double basses and bassoons – is instantly recognisable and tells the story of the play’s lead character, Peer Gynt, as he sets foot in the mountain troll’s hall. Written in the key of B minor, this epic piece builds tension by starting in a slow tempo and gradually speeds up to a prestissimo finale.

4. Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony

A self-confessed nature fan and lover of trees, Ludwig van Beethoven liked to go walking almost daily – and many of his best ideas came to him during walks in the country, including his 'pastoral' Symphony No. 6. Completed in 1808, its five movements contain programmatic content intended to depict the rural surroundings Beethoven encountered on his walks – including a scene by a brook and a merry gathering of locals.

5. ‘The Lark Ascending’, Vaughan Williams

This mesmerising piece of music was inspired by George Meredith’s poem of the same name about a skylark taking flight, and its song that could be heard during Meredith’s frequent strolls. Although Vaughan Williams wrote his first musical adaptation of the work in 1914 for violin and piano, he re-scored it in 1920 for solo violin and orchestra. This second version has become a classical music favourite and was voted No. 1 in this year’s Classic FM Hall of Fame.

6. Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons

Written in 1723, this majestic concerto is surely one of Antonio Vivaldi’s most famous programmatic works and each of its four movements corresponds to a different season. The Baroque composer liked to observe his surroundings while walking and translated this into beautiful music – highlights in The Four Seasons include high-pitched plucking from the strings to depict icy rain, while violas portray a barking dog in ‘Spring’.

7. Delibes’ Flower Duet (from Lakmé)

Premiering in Paris in 1883, this gorgeous duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano is taken from Léo Delibes’ stunning three-part opera, Lakmé. The duet takes place in act one as lead character, Lakmé, and her servant, Mallika, wander through the great outdoors and gather flowers by a river.

Love walking and helping others? This September Classic FM’s Big Walk is raising money for our charity, Global’s Make Some Noise. We're all getting out and walking to raise money, and would love for you to join us.

Ranked from worst to best ...

The biggest songs in West Side Story

Picture: United Artists

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM

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It has possibly the greatest musical score of all time, and it’s all based around that ominous, uncomfortable tritone… but which songs are really the best? Here’s our definitive ranking* of Bernstein’s songs from West Side Story.

*Tears were shed and friendships ruined in the making of this listicle.

1. A Boy Like That

   A duet between Anita and Maria, this is Anita’s final piece of wisdom for her sister-in-law, before Tony’s (spoiler alert) sticky end. The tempo constantly flits between 3/4 and 4/4 time, creating a feeling of unease. More than anything, it just makes us think: why didn’t Maria just listen to wise old Anita? It would have saved her a lot of upset.

2. Cool

   The tritone, also known as the devil’s interval, is frankly everywhere in West Side Story – so this is by no means the only example of it on this list. ‘Cool’, like ‘Maria’ and ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’, is based around the devil’s interval, and it creates a dark, stilted atmosphere to tell the audience that something is up. (It’s not that we don’t like ‘Cool’, by the way, it’s just Bernstein wrote too many bangers.)

3. I Feel Pretty

   In eighth place, it’s Maria’s solo ‘I Feel Pretty’. It’s a bit twee, but the song will always be charming, sweet and one of Bernstein’s most memorable melodies.
   Lyricist Stephen Sondheim described the idea behind this song as “simple’. The New York Times elaborated, saying that Sondheim “said he was never particularly fond of his lyrics in ‘West Side Story’, especially ‘I Feel Pretty’.”

4. Jet Song

   Tritone klaxon! In the ‘Jet Song’, the juicy interval appears prominently, but is never resolved. By leaving it unresolved, Bernstein builds that uncomfortable, ominous atmosphere that will set the tone for the rest of the musical.

5. Gee, Officer Krupke

   ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’, the great comic number in the musical, is a perfect example of Bernstein and Sondheim’s incredible teamwork. It kicks off in a light, vaudeville style, before launching us into another whopping great tritone in the first interval.

6. Tonight

   Ah, those sweet teenage dreams of finding a Shakespearean man to sing to us on our parents’ balcony... In their first love duet, Maria and Tony are suspended in time, while the rest of the world fades away. Oh, and there are no tritones here – only nice, loved-up fourths and fifths. *swoons*

7. Maria

   There’s no greater example of the tritone than in ‘Maria’. After that echoed build-up (which makes it sound a bit like poor Tony is lost in a train tunnel somewhere) a great big tritone comes in as Tony exclaims Maria’s name aloud for the first time.
   But the mood here couldn’t be further from the menacing feeling the tritone normally creates – and that’s because it’s only there for a moment, before it resolves to create a lovely perfect fifth interval.

8. Something’s Coming

   In third place, it’s the musical’s tagline. Full of jumpy rhythms, ‘Something’s Coming’ is based on a syncopated ostinato, which is repeated throughout. It sets the tone for Tony becoming disillusioned with gang violence, and his desire to leave the Jets.

9. America

   Grab your castanets! ‘America’ is the biggest dance number in the musical, and Sondheim’s rhyming game is exceptional here. Beginning with triplets, it paints a nostalgic picture of Puerto Rico, before moving into 6/8 time and that earworm-y C major melody.

10. Somewhere

    ‘Somewhere’ has probably found the most fame outside of the musical – and at least a smattering of our Bernstein-shaped tears can be attributed to this final, heartbreaking love duet.
    It borrows the tune from the slow movement of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Piano Concerto, but the final note is shifted a tone higher, hinting at a brief moment of hope for the star-crossed lovers.

Te Deum is performed at the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013