October 31, 2011

Amy Winehouse’s First (?) Posthumous Album Due On December 5

Following the tragic death of singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse earlier this year, two of her closest collaborators, Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, have put together an album using Winehouse’s unfinished recordings that’s set to be released on December 5. Amy’s father, Mitch Winehouse, oversaw the production. Entitled Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures, the album will include 12 tracks featuring Winehouse originals, unreleased tracks, alternative versions of her existing songs and covers of other artists’ songs.

Since Winehouse’s alcohol-related death back in July, there has been much speculation surrounding the volume of Amy’s unreleased recordings. The Guardian reported that up to a dozen songs were close to being finalized, but the tracklisting for this record shows that there’s only one track (“Between The Cheats”) that can be really be labeled as “new” (as opposed to outtakes from sessions on previously released albums).

All of which leads us to this: Will the record-buying public consider this record, with its mismash of demos, outtakes, and B-sides, as anything more than a “cashgrab”? In its defense, Mark Ronson’s pivotal role in the project— given his close friendship, ongoing creative partnership and overwhelming admiration for Amy—lends a great deal of credence to the project, and having yet to hear it, leads us to believe that the project was assembled with great affection. Additionally, the fact that £1 from each album sold will benefit the Amy Winehouse Foundation, an institution set up in Amy’s honor to support those dealing with substance abuse issues and addiction, seems to be a positive sign. However, there is a cynical part of us that can’t help but feeling like this record is being rushed to take advantage of the holiday buying season, and also that it won’t be the last posthumous album that Winehouse releases. We seriously doubt that her estate contains the same sort of treasure trove of unreleased studio sessions that 2Pac’s did, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Full tracklisting for Amy Winehouse Lionness: Hidden Treasures below:
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Tags: , , Salaam Remi, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse

July 28, 2011

One Day After Amy Winehouse’s Funeral, Mark Ronson Dedicates Concert Performance To Her

Mark Ronson is, it would seem, a firm believer in the old saying, “the show must go on.” Less than thirty-six hours after he attended the funeral of his dear friend and musical collaborator Amy Winehouse, he and his band The Business Intl. were slated to play an open-air concert as part of the weeklong Greenwich Summer Sessions festival, and rather than cancel the engagement, he dedicated the show to his late friend and played several of her songs, including “Valerie”:

The song was already part of the band’s repertoire, but last night’s performance was particularly poignant. “Usually when we sing this song, Kyle [Falconer, previously of The View] sings it,” Ronson said, introducing the song, “But you know what? I think the only thing that would be right tonight is if you guys sing it.” He then introduced Winehouse’s two backup singers: “We’re gonna help you—I’m not gonna say that Zalon and Ade don’t have much better voices than all of you—but it’s not really about that. We want you to sing this s—t as loud as you can.” The crowd gladly obliged. The band—and crowd—were also joined on vocals by Dave McCabe, who’d originally written “Valerie” for his band The Zutons.

Ronson’s tributes spanned the entire evening; while DJing before his set, he played “Rehab,” and he later related a quotation from Tuesday’s service while speaking to the crowd: “There was a rabbi that spoke, and he said that somebody’s life is measured in deeds and not years, and that’s the best thing I heard yesterday.” Near the end of his performance he returned again to Winehouse’s catalog, performing “Back to Black,” which is viewable below.

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Tags: , , , Mark Ronson & The Business Intl, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse

July 23, 2011

Katy Perry, Rihanna And More Mourn The Loss Of Amy Winehouse On Twitter

Amy Winehouse Grammys 2008

Although Amy Winehouse‘s struggles with substance abuse had become arguably just as well known as her music over the last few years, no one expected to hear the tragic news that she passed away at age 27 today. Understandably, hundreds of thousands of people took to Twitter to express their sadness, frustration, and even anger that the incredibly talented Winehouse could never find the strength to pull her life together and get sober. Below, we’ve pulled a small sample of reactions from her peers, her collaborators and her admirers as they bid farewell to the latest member of the 27 Club.


—Musician Katy Perry (@katyperry)


—Musician Rihanna (@rihanna)


—Musician and frequent Winehouse collaborator Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson)

See the reactions of the Mob Wives, Kelly Osbourne and more below.

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Tags: , , , Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse, Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Mob Wives, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Celebrity Rehab 5

September 18, 2007

Blog Best-Of: Brangelina’s Boudoir

brangelina_bed_links.jpg- Brad Pitt says if he and Angelina Jolie have more kids, they’re going to need a bigger bed. Adopting kids is like Jaws, but scarier. [Dlisted]

- Michael Jackson reportedly spent three hours getting his hair did before a recent photo shoot. But you know that he looked SO HOT after, so it was worth it. [Crunk + Disorderly]

- Mark Ronson releases the video for “Valerie” featuring an Amy Winehouse impersonator. As If anyone could possibly throw up on herself with the same panache as Amy. Really, there’s no comparison. [Popbytes]

- Sharon Stone‘s dress looks dangerously like a tampon. The better to soak up the excess Botox with? [Best Week Ever]

- Paris Hilton‘s exposed crotch scales new heights. So this must mean her career is on an upward trajectory. [CityRag]

[Image credit: Getty]