Amy Winehouse’s second album, 2006’s 5x Grammy Award-winning Back to Black, is one of the finest soul albums, British or otherwise, to come out in the last twenty years. Frank, her first album, was a sparse and stripped-down affair; Back to Black, meanwhile, is neither of these things. This time around, she’s taken her inspiration from some of the classic 1960’s girl groups like the Supremes and the Shangri-Las, a sound particularly suited to her textured vocal delivery, while adding a contemporary songwriting sensibility.

With the help of producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, “Rehab” becomes a gospel-tinged stomp, while the title track (and album highlight) is a heartbreaking musical tribute to Phil Spector, with it’s echoey bass drum, rhythmic piano, chimes, saxophone and close harmonies. Winehouse’s lyrics deal with relationships from a grown-up perspective, and are honest, direct and, often, complicated: on “You Know I’m No Good,” she’s unapologetic about her unfaithfulness. But she can also be witty, as on “Me & Mr. Jones” when she berates a boyfriend with “You made me miss the Slick Rick gig.”