release date: Dec. 6, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Salaam Remi
label: Universal Island - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Our Day Will Come" (5 / 5) - 2. "Between the Cheats" - 3. "Tears Dry" (Original Version) - 4. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (2011)" - 6. "Valerie ('68 Version)" - 8. "Half Time" - 9. "Wake Up Alone" (Original Recording) - 10. "Best Friends, Right?" - 11. "Body & Soul (duet with Tony Bennett)" - 12. "A Song for You"
Compilation album by Amy Winehouse released posthumously is primarily produced by Salaam Remi, but it also feature two songs (tracks #4 & #6) produced by Mark Ronson.
The album title suggests a collection of well-hidden gems, and it may just be that but it's more of a mixed bag in the sense that it contains a big variety of songs - some that were undoubtedly meant to be prt of a never realised third album, and others that, well, weren't intended to be reeased as is but given the circumstances thankfully were revealed without having to fit in. "Our Day Will Come" and "Between the Cheats" are superb compositions that probably would have been included on that third studio album, but the remaining tracks come to define the album as something else. We find outtakes, demos, and rarities rather than future album songs 'cause Winehouse hadn't found time to compose that many more. Some tracks are alternate recordings, two songs are with other artists - Nas and Tony Bennett respectively, where the latter duet appears to have been her last studio recording, and then a couple of old classics make up the lot before it's all over in just around 45 mins. Apparently, the songs were selected by the producers, Sallam Remi and Mark Ronson, but apparently also with a say from one or two family members.
The album debuted at the top of the charts in the UK as it replicated in Austria, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, and in The Netherlands. It also became Winehouse's best charting standard album in the US making it to number #5 on the Billboard 200 (Back to Black peaked at #2 when it was re-issued). It spawned two single releases - track #11 "Body and Soul", a duet with Tony Bennett reaching number #40 and "Our Day Will Come" peaking at number #29 on the national singles chart.
Lioness... is an album without obvious fillers or poor songs, and it's more than nice to have these recordings as well, although, the collection appears more as an incomplete glimpse into a treasury, where the voice of Winehouse is the jewel that shines through it all.
Highly recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Spin 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👎The Guardian, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]
In 2015 "Amy", a British documentary by Asif Kapadia was released to mostly positive reviews, although, the Winehouse family and especially Amy's father Mitch Winehouse rejected the film as biased and misleading.
EDIT 2025:
The Winehouse foundation (established by the family estate) approved the biopic "Back to Black" directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and featuring a strong lead role by Marisa Abela was released in 2024, and it shows another - much brighter and less controversial - family drama. Several other documentaries may be found about the life of Amy Winehouse but "Amy" stands out as a genuine attempt of showing the story of her life, as it was portrayed and told by the media, as well as people close to Amy. Now, the 2024 film does come with a fine soundtrack, which works quite nicely on its own terms.
