Posthumous Amy Winehouse Album To Be Released

Coming on the heels of news about what caused singer Amy Winehouse's sudden death on July 23, her record label Island Records announced today that it will release an all new, full-length album of never before heard recordings sung by the Grammy winner on December 5, E! News reports.

Called Lioness: Hidden Treasures, the album will be comprised of 12 tracks, including new songs she was working on, previously unreleased tracks, cover versions of classic songs and mellower versions of Winehouse hits. Two new songs, "Halftime" and "The Girl From Ipanema," will join a demo version of "Wake Up Alone" and alternative versions of "Tears Dry on Their Own" and "Valerie." Her final single, "Body & Soul," a duet with legendary crooner Tony Bennett, will also be included.

The idea for the new album came when collaborators and friends Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi listened to recordings of the artist and realized that she never repeated a melody or a take while recording. "It quickly became apparent to Salaam and Mark that they had a collection of songs that deserved to be heard, a collection of songs that were a fitting testament to Amy the artist and, as importantly, Amy their friend," the label said.

Winehouse's family has sanctioned the release of Lioness. "If the family had felt that this album wasn't up to the standard of Frank and Back to Black, we would never have agreed to release it and we believe it will stand as fitting tribute to Amy's musical legally," Winehouse's father Mitch said of the album. A portion of each record sold in the U.K. will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which aims to assist disadvantaged youth.