Amy Winehouse R.I.P.
The late Amy Winehouse had one of those voices from which I recoil: the British showbiz voice that’s brassy, unafraid of histrionics; the kind of voice that requires illustrative hand gestures while singing. The descendants of the Shirley Bassey school include everyone from Annie Lennox to Adele. But in the right circumstances Winehouse’s belting commanded attention, in large part because Winehouse already sounded like a sample; for many fans she signified “soul,” a taxonomical distinction which in recent years has come to mean the dramatizing of self backed by “real” instruments.
As I’ve written offhandedly in a few places today, the stupid lizards — male, most of them — that could not assess Winehouse without resorting to a variant on “slut,” “skank,” or “bitch” yet consider Keith Richards a bad ass disgust me. Moreover, the relentlessness with which social media, accelerating changes brought forth years ago from our obsession with therapy, legitimizes the notion that appreciation requires insights drawn from the artist’s biography is a menace which must be combated. We’ll know soon enough what happened to Winehouse. For the moment let’s appreciate her legacy. Above I posted what I still consider her greatest moment. Winehouse and Ghostface prove such a delicious combination that it’s a shame they couldn’t have recorded a Marvin and Tammi-style duets album.
WAIT. WHAT??? WHAT THE…!!! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?
And yet, rather predictable.
Hans
July 23, 2011 at 5:18 pm
dashed off in the pampas, unironic half sniffle
This breaks yer gaucho´s heart, seriously. Wasn´t my taste, but admired her more than anyone on the scene …. the sordid stuff was only sort of a pose (middle class girlz going hoochie ARE that vile)but the unwillingness to retreat was authentically heroic in the rehab era…. but thats irrelevant.
Cant think of a finer HOOKier pop singer songwriter alive…. and she recorded the last one at 24! Cmon, that record had blood. Listen to the first and tell me she isn´t as believable as Dusty.
Lennox… !cmon
Your revulsions understandable, Alf, and probably extends to Nina Simone. These ladies attract shitty fans…. and consequently, too many “reluctant” defendors. Nina´s oerve is much richer than
jose
July 24, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I’ll probably steal this at some point; fair warning.
Simon Crowe
July 25, 2011 at 6:14 pm
By all means.
humanizingthevacuum
July 25, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Fuck the mate, pass some kleenex.
a sobbing illiterate with convictions…. a true caudillo! and this the more emotional hemisphere ; heart goes all dulce de leche…. maroon wool and patagonian wind…. And certainty after the first bite of the first steak that your papi’s grilling “flavorful” was really soylent green… at least his Johnny Black isnt Argentine whisky. And theyre such anglophiles.
I rescind my Dusty “believable” BS. She’s twice as funny, y bizarrra in the true sense … Dusty, Annie, etc flounder flatly without a good producer.
Winehouse , Simone , gain from sensitive production, but can’t be reigned… fuck, gotta go, five minutes at a time see you on the first….
I w
Jose
July 25, 2011 at 11:23 pm