With any posthumous album, there’s going to be some mixed — if not completely sarcastic — feelings about what comes out.
With Amy Winehouse, there were only two complete albums to her name, solo; like a lot of people (including Tony Bennett), I felt that Winehouse had such an impressive amount of talent and it was a shame she passed before she had more to share. This is no Michael Jackson moment, and thankfully “Lioness: Hidden Treasures” has been framed as a rarities collection, and not as a totally separate, purposefully formed album
I’m glad there will be more to hear, particularly after hearing the two tracks that are out today. Nas was the inspiration behind Winehouse’s “Mr. Jones” and he show’s up on “Like Smoke,” recorded in 2008, on a pair of verses.
Additionally, there’s the 2002 cover of Ruby & The Romantics” reggae track “Our Day Will Come,” below.
These aren’t insta-classics, and I don’t think they’re meant to be. It fills in the blanks of a decade-short career, and in both, Winehouse exhibits her flare for character and woozy soul.