The new documentary shining light on the life of Amy Winehouse has generated both raves and controversy, but there's at least one bit of news that nearly everyone can agree is good: The final demos that the vocalist created before her death have been destroyed, ensuring that Drake won't come along and try to release them.
David Joseph, who oversaw Winehouse's work at Universal Music UK, stated during Amy that he destroyed the recordings to make sure that no one attempted to profit from fascination with her legacy.
"It was a moral thing," he said. "Taking a stem or a vocal is not something that would ever happen on my watch. It now can't happen on anyone else's."
The last album released during Winehouse's life was 2006's Back To Black, which gathered acclaim and four Grammys. She didn't release another album during the last five years of her life however, although a collection of rarities and demos—Lioness: Hidden Treasures—was assembled to benefit her foundation shortly after her death during 2011. The demos referenced by Joseph were intended for the third album that failed to materialize, and apparently needed a healthy amount of work in order to make ready for release. The kind of work that requires the original performer present. Joseph may have made some record executive somewhere upset but ultimately the world should thank him for taking the option off the table.
Many posthumous albums have begun to emerge, with many protests in tow. Michael Jackson's estate has released two albums of original material since his 2009 death, with the most recent—2014's Xscape—receiving scathing reviews from critics. Rapper Drake made headlines in the last few years with his attempts to release a posthumous Aaliyah album by using unheard recordings (and adding his own contributions to the mix). Although his motives weren't financially-based, most questioned the tastefulness of the project, resulting in its cancellation.
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