I read all the English magazines and I always try to be skeptical of the hype. Year’s end of 2006 revived the myth of the great white hope in Amy Winehouse and I sat with doubt and disdain as long as I could, but I can no longer do so. Only 23 years old, the hard-partying Londoner Winehouse has already made a name for herself in England with the 2003 debut Frank, and this sophomore release has gone three times platinum in Blighty on top of the widespread criticalia. So is the US ready for this soul-charged outré? Ready or not, here it comes! This is the most surprisingly legit and wholly satisfying soul record in way too long of a time. Of course it comes from England, the land of the great reinventors of so many American styles. This record harks back to the grandiose productions of the 1970s that usually had names like Gamble-Huff or Curtis Mayfield on them. Winehouse proves capable of some amazing things across Back to Black. With her old-school soul delivery she takes brazen sexuality and a “girl taking charge” mentality that make other artist’s recent attempts at similar sounds seem merely cartoonish. On “Rehab,” a brash refusal to apologize for any excesses, she pulls no punches. For Winehouse, it comes back to a staid, sensuous, take-charge delivery that harkens back to soul mavens like Irma Thomas and Millie Jackson. In a way, Back to Black chronicles the modern girl’s guide to getting through it all. To the ska-chugging horns of “Just Friends,” Winehouse confesses that she can’t be like the women who came before her and proclaims, “And though I’m not ashamed/But the guilt will kill you.” “Wake Up Alone” is a modern revamp of a girl group confessional that would make Phil Spector envious, with Winehouse taking on the modern notions while debunking them. With her booming voice, she chanteuses in way that is part Shirley Bassey and part Mary J. Blige. Add a crack band highlighted by spot-on horns and this is as good as modern soul gets. No, wait: better. But you might have to wait just a little bit to get it: Back to Black is currently only available as an import with a Stateside release slated for March on Universal/Republic.

She’s the latest foot soldier in Ani’s Army, and Anais Mitchell has made no secret about her debt to Buffalo’s queen of the folk underground. Don’t simply pigeonhole her as the next Ani, though. From straight outta a Vermont sheep farm, she brings her own stripped, simple but emotionally complex brand of songs to the table. Like Ani, however, she offers the prospect of being one of the next great singer/songwriters in that mold. With The Brightness she proves a gift for deeply confessional and plainspoken lyricism. Mitchell’s deceptively tiny voice, indeed reminiscent at moments of DiFranco and also a bit like nouveau-folk pixie Joanna Newsom, packs a lot of power as she emotes about love in this collection of dreams and lullabies. With a plaintive piano, “On a Friday Night” trades in the good-time, out-on-the-weekend theme with Mitchell seemingly pining over loneliness and a search for self. “Old Fashioned Hat” bears a tender charm and genuine heart that few love songs ever get at, while the warm acoustic carol “Song of the Magi” could be a nice fit alongside Sufjan Steven’s collection of Christmas songs.