Why Does It Hurt So Bad? - Whitney Houston - Legend - Dies

Whitney Houston, one of the greatest singers in the history of recorded music, has passed away.  Formulating those words is tough for me because as a fan I truly loved Whitney Houston. When the great Don Cornelius died a few days ago, I was compelled not to blog about it only because I felt my blog was starting to look like a music obit. But for Whitney, I must write.

Whitney burst onto the music scene and into our hearts in the mid 1980s. Her self titled debut album produced the hits "Saving All My Love For You" and "You Give Good Love". It also contained the smash hit "The Greatest Love of All", which many people still think she recorded first but George Benson was the original singer; Whitney just "owned" it - LOL. That song quickly became the #1 choice of aspiring singers at talent shows all around the globe in the mid to late 80s. When I heard Whitney back then, I knew she was special because she was so clearly better than any of the female contemporary singers of the time. I felt the breath from her belly as she hit notes that most singers could only dream of hitting. She made the hairs on your body stand and demanded your attention and she wielded her craft.

I have been a fan of Whitney's since day one. When she really started to become an international superstar after her second album "Whitney" took off, it bothered me some when folks started criticizing her for going "pop".  That condemnation of her may have been some of the dumbest stuff I've ever heard. Crossing over is not always a bad thing. It opened more doors for her to expose her talents, like to do the movies "The Bodyguard", "The Preacher's Wife and "Waiting to Exhale". It gave her an opportunity to give us that mesmorizing performance of America's National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV and the great "One Moment Time" song for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. It strengthened her brand.

Whitney's relative absence from the music scene for 15 years or so left a huge void. When she stopped releasing music consistently and stopped charting we were left with a lot of mediocre garbage. The vacuum left by her swept in a lot subpar performers. There has always been a part of me that HOPED she would make a big successful comeback and rule the industry again. That part of me never died until tonight (news of her passing); it wasn't meant to be. But Whitney, I'll never stop playing your music and I'll never stop talking about how great you was. You'll always be near the top of my charts. I hope you are at peace.

RIP Amy Winehouse - Tragic Ending - Gone Too Soon

British singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home this past Saturday. At this time, an autopsy and a toxicology report has been performed but it is too early to determine her actual cause of death. This certainly hasn't stop public speculation as to what killed her. Unfortunately before her death, Winehouse's name had already become synonymous with drug abuse, so the assumption is she overdosed on something. Her struggles with drug addiction had been well documented.  Her name seemed to appear more in the press for rehab stints, fights and arrests than it did for record releases, concerts and awards. The last thing that garnered attention in the media for Winehouse was merely a month ago when she appeared to be under the influence on stage at a concert in Belgrade, Serbia. She mumbled, stumbled, and forgot lyrics as her band struggled to help her get through the set. Winehouse had a soulless look in her eyes and she constantly kept embracing herself. It was truly, truly sad; she looked and sounded absolutely awful. That may have been the worse thing I have ever seen on stage at a concert. Sadly and ironically, it was her very last concert appearance.

Winehouse rose to international superstar status in 2007 with her multi-platinum, multi-award winning soul album "Back To Black". In 2007 and 2008, Winehouse was debatably the biggest artist in the world. I honestly must say I wasn't totally sold on her. From the singles she released, I thought she was good but I couldn't understand the big fuss. I finally bought "Back To Black" after getting recommendations from several people who music taste I trust.  Along with that album, I also bought her first studio album "Frank".  I personally thought "Frank" was a much better project that "Back to Black". On "Frank" I saw her potential and things that I guess others saw on "Back To Black". "Frank" is what really made me respect her as an artist. Though the talent was definitely there, it was hard to ignore her bouts with alcohol and drugs; especially when her signature song is titled "Rehab" and part of the hook of the song is her insistence that she's not going ("no, no, no") to go get help.

I didn't personally know Amy Winehouse but I was saddened to hear about her passing. Just absolutely tragic. No one that young should ever die. She didn't come close to experiencing life.  Frankly I am a bit sick of seeing artist continuing to wreck their careers and lives with drugs. It has been happening for decades and it really needs to be addressed (pressures, highs & lows, isolation, etc). The reputation of drugs and alcohol being associated with being cool (ie "drug, sex & rock & roll") needs to be frowned upon as well. But as long as drugs persist in society it will in the entertainment business too. Drugs destroy lives of "every day" people everyday. No matter how many people try to help addicts, nothing will change until they are ready. Addicts make choices to indulge and it's only when they make the serious choice to stop can they begin to recover. Unfortunately for many, like Amy, they never get a chance to make that choice.