When Amy Winehouse died in July, fans rushed to her home in Camden to mourn the loss of an outstanding contemporary British talent. Despite a life plagued by addiction and an abundance of bad press, it is impossible to deny that Amy’s voice was fantastic: individual, soulful, and ultimately the representation of a vulnerable but incredibly talented woman. I must confess that, like many others, I joined the Amy bandwagon with Rehab in 2006, and drifted off it again in the lengthy period when her only mention was an unflattering photograph in the ‘Caught on Camera’ section of a trashy magazine. However, in the horrible recognition that an unexpected death brings, I fell in love with Amy once more, and awaited an album with great anticipation.
Some were doubtful about the circumstances of Amy’s death, and some were doubtful about the announced album and its right to release. Obviously, compiling a suitable posthumous album for a singer who had released no major work since 2008 was pivotal to leaving a well-deserved legacy. In my opinion, Lioness: Hidden Treasures is near-flawless in showcasing Amy’s superb talent and individuality, not only as a singer but as a person, tainted with so much unfair criticism during the course of her career.What surprised me most about the album was the sheer positivity emitted from almost every track. Used to hearing the deep, heartbreaking vocals on Back to Black, Lioness gives an overall impression of unchallenged optimism. From the catchy opening chords of single ‘Our Day Will Come’ to the spine-tingling concluding notes of ‘A Song For You’, the album shows Amy in her element; happy, unconcerned and overwhelmingly likeable.
Highlights include ‘The Girl From Ipanema’, in which verses are interjected with ecstatic shouts and du-wops from Amy and the original recording of ‘Wake Up Alone’ which is slower and somehow more heartrending than the studio version as Amy contemplates lost love in those drifting and echoed last notes. The immediately following ‘Best Friends, Right?’ is instantaneous in its mood-enhancing quality, Amy’s voice rippling in catchy repeats of ‘but we are best friends… right?’ Her undeniable and unexplainable charm is especially apparent in this carefree track, light-hearted and guaranteed to provoke an unintended singalong, much like the well-loved ‘Valerie.’
‘Body and Soul’ was the last song released before Amy’s death, highlighting Amy’s versatility in combination with the voice of award-winning jazz singer Tony Bennett. As a final single this was outstanding in terms of demonstrating Amy’s achievement, and due to her tragic and untimely death acted as the pinnacle of her development as an artist. However, Amy was never boastful or diva-like in her attitude, and it seems entirely appropriate that she unknowingly bids her fans a final farewell in her infectious accent through the concluding soundbites of Lioness: Hidden Treasures, in which she chats away quite unconcernedly like the down-to-earth British icon she was.
KLH
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