DAILY FIX: Amy Winehouse, "Valerie" (Live On BBC Sessions)

Posted by: Necci – Jul 25, 2011

Much has already been said about the death of Amy Winehouse this weekend at the age of 27, not all of it respectful. What gets lost amongst a lot of this talk is any discussion of the reason we all knew who she was in the first place--that incredible voice she had. Her only mature full-length release, 2006's Back To Black, was a masterpiece of retro-soul taken to a whole new level by her amazing voice and boldly honest lyrics. There's no denying that, in the years that followed Back To Black's release, she squandered her talent in a haze of drug and alcohol abuse. No doubt even if she'd lived, it would have been as a shadow of her former self. And hey, I can't ignore the fact that a lot of what made me love Back To Black so much was the way she sang so sweetly about such fucked-up, socially deviant subjects. The contrast was entertainingly risque, and a lot of listeners (including me at times) found it amusing, but clearly it should never have been seen as a laughing matter. Addiction is a disease, and any death at this young an age is a tragedy. But at least we still have her music to remember her by. Rest in peace, Amy.

By Andrew Necci

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