Funnily enough, considering the year Amy Winehouse has had, we were pegging our bets on her third album being full of happy-go-lucky Joss Stone-esque sunshine pop choons with animated video clips featuring singing birds and bunnies, and guest spots by Franciscus Henri and other FUN people.

However, it seems we were wrong:

 

Again writing with Mark Ronson, Amy has played some of the new songs to pals.

They were impressed but disturbed by the moodiness of her follow-up to the eight million-selling Back To Black.

Some of the lyrics are so bleak that it is even being described as “suicidal music”.

A source said her skin complaint was dragging her mood down further and added: “Her next album is darker than ever. Amy’s got low self-esteem anyway but her skin has made her want to hide away from the rest of the world. And we have started noticing more and more cuts on her arms.

“Her problems are pushing her over the edge and she’s turning into a depressed recluse. It’s not good for her to stay in so much.

“People try to get her to leave the house and tell her not to worry about what people say. But she’d rather sit around her dingy flat all day writing about death.”

Well, it could be worse, couldn't it? After all, Amy does gloom and melancholy pretty bloody well.

We'd really be worried if she was writing funk-rock jam freak-outs with titles like Woke Up This Morning And My Face Looked Like A Margharita Pizza With Extra Chicken And Garlic. But until we read that Winegums is hooking up with Anthony Kiedis or Mr Bungle, we're staying hopeful.

Tags: amy winehouse | au | mark ronson | music | recording | winegums watch