A year of fine music marred by tragic death

The death of Amy Winehouse has cast a shadow across the musical landscape of 2011. A genuine talent in a time of disposable ones, Winehouse showed a searing honesty in her song writing that deservedly saw Back to Black sell millions and win Grammys.

Yet the sad fact is that album was released in October 2006, and the diminutive Londoner never managed to release a follow up. Her appearance at Oxegen 2008 showed what a brilliant, but frustrating, performer she could be. When she hit the notes, she was magnificent but there were also moments where she stumbled over lyrics of songs that were classics. Yet thousands happily sang them for her; she was a singer that people really connected with, someone whose career could have spanned decades.

However, 2011 proved to be a fairytale year for another young English singer. Having turned heads with her debut, 19 Adele returned with her sophomore effort, 21. The record seemed to arrive with little fanfare, but lead single Rolling in the Deep was soon chomping up every airwave in its path.

Adele’s performance of Someone Like You at the Brits was impeccable, and 21 went on to sell crazy amounts. At one point, it was shifting 8,000 CDs a week in Ireland – in the age of iTunes and free downloads, that’s unheard of. Her music is ubiquitous now, but it’s hard to deny the power and  nuance of her voice. Adele may lack the edgier side of Amy Winehouse but, like Winehouse, her popularity has come about because people actually like her.

In an age of digital trickery and hype, music fans still crave the power of the human voice.

Closer to home, the Galway Arts festival brought some quality acts to the Big Top once again this year. Bell X1 played a sell-out show, and RóisÍn Dubh brought their popular Silent Disco to the big blue tent.

Blondie returned and played a hit-laden set to a rapturous crowd. It may be over 30 years since she first stepped on to the scene, but Deborah Harry still exudes the charisma of a true rock star. The band even managed to pull off the tricky prospect of throwing in new material alongside the classics.

But it was gems like Heart of Glass, One Way Or Another and a marvellous Atomic that had the crowd singing their way home from a great, if chilly, July evening.

For more of this review see this week's Tribune