Amy Winehouse, ‘Lioness: Hidden Treasures’ Album Review

2011 was a great year for British music, acts such as Jessie J and of course Adele’s sophomore record reaffirming the UK’s stamp on the global music map. However, 2011 will not be remembered as such, as all this was overshadowed by the tragic untimely death of a modern great.

Lioness: Hidden Treasures is a mesmeric collection of Amy Winehouse recordings, finished with love and affection by her friends and family to provide us with a posthumous album worthy of her memory.

Recent single ‘Our Day will Come.’ opens the lid on Hidden Treasures, providing the album with a solid foundation, the first taste of Amy’s dry sultry drawl floating effortlessly over a brass polished slice of reggae-soul.

Stand out tracks ‘Half-Time’ and ‘Between the Cheats’ give us a hauntingly rich reminder of Amy’s versatility, even an unlikely but well timed guest appearance from Nas on ‘Like Smoke’ is an audible treat when held together by Amy’s routinely soulfully-sweet vocal.

A reworked version of Valerie and a bold attempt at a credible version of croon classic ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ provide the only real filler in the album, whilst an original version of ‘Tears Dry’ dripping in caramalised melancholy, is so different from the one we know that it sounds brand new.

‘Body and Soul’, Amy’s well publicised track with Tony Bennett, follows before the album closes out its twelve tracks with the appropriately placed ‘A song for you.’ Lyrics such as ‘I love you in a place where’s there’s no space or time/ and when my life is over, remember when we were together’ ensure a tear jerking finale for the listener.

Appearing so soon after her death, one might have feared a repeat of the numerous, crudely finished, posthumous Michael Jackson album releases. While the album lacks cohesion both vocally and in its track selection, ‘Lioness’ has a rightful place alongside ‘Frank’ and ‘Back to Black.’ It is a worthy addition to her legacy and it is further proof that she deserves to be held on the same pedestal as those classic blues n’ jazz artists from decades past.

‘Lioness: Hidden Treasures:’ noticeably rough around the edges but at its core deeply soulful with flashes of genius, much like the lady herself. One can only wonder what this album could have been were she still with us.

4 stars out of 5

By James Stapleton

@realJstapleton