Before her tragic death Saturday, Amy Winehouse had been working on a third album — a follow-up to her Grammy-winning hit Back to Black — that she was planning to release next year. Record industry insiders are now floating the idea of posthumously releasing the work she's done so far, which was quite successful following the deaths of John Lennon and Otis Redding, among others. But given the troubled, unhealthy state the singer was in when she recorded these songs, would it be disrespectful to publish the unfinished tracks?
It's a delicate situation: A posthumous release of new music "can be both a boon for the artist's legacy and a gift to the fan," says Billboard's Keith Caulfield, as quoted by The Christian Science Monitor. But only "if handled correctly." It's key to have someone who knew the artist well dictate what songs get put out, to avoid "the whiff of exploitation" that tainted the posthumous release of Michael Jackson's music. If chosen well, a fresh batch of tracks could "extend" Winehouse's career, as it did for Buddy Holly, Tupac Shakur, and Elvis.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Nutcracker: English National Ballet's reboot restores 'festive sparkle'The Week Recommends Long-overdue revamp of Tchaikovsky's ballet is 'fun, cohesive and astoundingly pretty'
-
Congress reaches spending deal to avert shutdownSpeed Read The bill would fund the government through March 14, 2025
-
Today's political cartoons - December 18, 2024Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - thoughts and prayers, pound of flesh, and more
