On December 5, producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi will join together to release Amy Winehouse‘s upcoming posthumous album: Lioness: Hidden Treasures, a 12-track collection featuring unreleased demos, rarities, covers and session tracks recorded while working with the late singer.
“Like Smoke” is one of the first songs to spill from the record.
Originally recorded in 2008, the song features a newly recorded verse by rapper Nas, a close friend to Winehouse, whom he considered his own little sister. According to Billboard, the two artists were planning a joint birthday party before her death in July.
Along with the songstress’ inimitable soulful crooning throughout, “Like Smoke” is filled with gorgeous sweeps of strings and the same swinging ’60’s energy that colored much of Back to Black. It’s a stellar addition to her back catalogue and, although unfinished, clearly held much promise–an incredibly bittersweet metaphor for Winehouse’s own life.
A few days ago, NME‘s Dan Martin got a chance to listen to the upcoming album and wrote a rather in-depth review of the entire listening session. Definitely worth a read.
Lioness: Hidden Treasures will be released on December 5. (iTunes)