By George Kielty, Gibbs High
Grade: ****, 4/5 asterisks

Though the cockney courier of the arts was never one of my top picks from my homeland, I always really loved her voice. And even though I’m not one for post-mortem releases, I kind of liked Amy Winehouse’s final goodbye. There was just one major problem: IT’S SO SAD! All I could think throughout: God, I really can’t wait to hear what else she’s going to release, oh wait . . .

Now, don’t let this stop you from picking up a copy. While she had a lot of personal issues, Amy definitely made some beautiful music. Known for her sensual, jazzy style, Winehouse put this to use on this album. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is a lovely plea to someone unseen, heartbreaking and romantic at once, demonstrating Amy’s ballad ability. Again, watch the crushing despair, or you might cry on the album art once or twice.

Amy worked with several artists before her passing; Like Smoke featuring Nas has a poignant and powerful tempo, with the lyrics gushing from Nas adding to the already intense effect of Amy’s musical talent. My absolute favorite song has to be the cover of Body and Soul featuring Tony Bennett, the smoothest, most beautiful piece of music ever to slink its way out of my computer’s ratchety speakers. The vocals are something I dreamed of when I was young; the cheesy cliche of angel choirs at the peak of some success actually came into being through the recording of these two brilliant vocalists. I haven’t stopped listening to it.

Now, granted, because a lot of these songs were finished after her passing, they do have a somewhat incomplete feel to them, that very obvious absence. This is the exact reason I don’t like after-death releases, because it’s never the same album the artist envisioned. We don’t get an Amy Winehouse album, we get the skeleton of what it might have been.

Lucky for us, this is still a pretty damn good sounding skeleton. Check Halftime, Valerie and Girl From Ipanema ( a delightful boasting of Winehouse’s charming scat ability) for more friendly and fearsomely crippling reminders of what a lovely singer she was. Bittersweet, for sure.