To the day of her death, Amy Winehouse suffered tabloid exposure amidst her many addictions. Because she garnered so much negative press, people sometimes forget how powerful her vocals could be. With the posthumous release of her compilation album Lioness: Hidden Treasures, listeners will hear a revived Amy belt her deep contralto once more in what is sure to become the R&B album of the year.
Treasures boasts never-before-heard material from Winehouse dating back to as early as 2002, including covers of Winehouse’s inspirations and raw recordings from her Grammy-winning album Back to Black. Aside from the upbeat reggae-inspired opener “Our Day Will Come”, the content of the album is strikingly melancholy. Its broad timespan between recordings allows listeners to explore certain ages of both love and trauma in Amy’s life. In the album’s heartbreaking closer, “A Song for You”, Winehouse’s powerful lyrics highlight the album’s somber tone and reveal a less reserved side of Amy. If this compilation is how Winehouse will be remembered, then what a legacy she will have left behind. Lioness: Hidden Treasures, while not Winehouse’s best work, stays true to its title by giving listeners a rare side of Amy that will surely solidify her status as one of the greatest Jazz vocalists of our time.
Sometimes when a band becomes as enormously successful as The Black Keys did in 2010, they feel pressured to match that success and often come out with a rushed follow-up. However, this rock duo’s latest album El Camino may be their best yet, and proves that no amount of success will divert from making irresistible music in a short amount of time.
The Black Keys, led by vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, have synthesized rock music into one epic album. Listeners are likely to pick up on the Zeppelin odes, The Clash-esque punk, and Bowie glam after only one listen. Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells) worked briefly on the Keys’ previous album, and helped with the production on El Camino as well. The pairing of these two unique sounds has produced a confident, catchy album. The lyrics, though sometimes trite, do anything but take away from its genius, as Auerbach’s falsetto instead blends beautifully into the surrounding composition and enhances the overall quality and effect each song carries with it. The standout tracks are “Gold on the Ceiling”, “Run Right Back”, and the Stairway to Heaven-sounding “Little Black Submarines”. A fair warning to all Minnetonka student drivers: This record is liable to make you want to speed.
Top Albums of 2011:
- Feist – Metals
- Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne
- 3. Adele – 21
- The Black Keys – El Camino
- Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver
