NEW AMY WINEHOUSE DISC "LIONESS" TO FEATURE ONE NEW RECORDING

Amy Winehouse in Toronto May 2007

With news of the first Amy Winehouse release coming post-humously titled Lioness: Hidden Treasures, Fans need a Buyer Beware that this in fact is not the long-awaited third full Studio Album they've been waiting for. Lioness also is the name of her Record Label, launched in 2009.

In fact, of the twelve tracks on the Disc, only one is in fact technically "new", titled Between the Sheets produced by long-time collaborator Salaam Remi. The remainder of the Tracks appear to be Covers, Demos and Out-takes from prior Albums which already have surfaced the Internet prior.

The Track Listing is as follows:

TONY BENNETT - DUETS II REVIEW

Tony Bennett - Duets II

Mr. Tony Bennett's Epic Opus 2011, aka Duets II brings together some of the most unlikely collaborations - a true testament to the Crooner's influence on so many of the Vocalists who have sold out Arenas and won Grammys after him. At 85 years of age, Bennett recently became the oldest living Artist to have achieved the distinction of debuting atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart and he did it with some help from his Friends. Some really famous and talented Friends.

Jam-packed with 17 Classics, Duets II isn't necessarily about breaking new ground or necessarily about High Art. It's about celebrating an Icon and how Bennett's Voice and Music have inspired others and also connecting a new Audience who grew-up not having had Jazz Music on their radars. The phrasing, the range, the stylization - there is only one Tony Bennett and this Collection pays tribute to that front and center.

There are some fabulous moments on the Disc like the fun and flirtatious The Lady is a Tramp (ft. Lady Gaga), One for my Baby (ft. John Mayer), a perfect reunion in Blue Velvet (ft. k.d. lang), Don't Get Around Much Anymore (ft. Michael Bublé) ...obviously, Yesterday I Heard the Rain (ft. Alejandro Sanz) and perhaps a true showcase that he's (and she's) definitely still got it, How Do You Keep the Music Playing (ft. Aretha Franklin).

2011 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS RECAP

Lady Gaga at 2011 MTV VMAs

Lady Gaga made sure she was the talk of the 2011 MTV VMAs held this evening, arriving in Drag dressed as her male Alter-ego, Jo Calderone.  "Gaga isn't here", soon became a Mantra as it was drilled into our Psyche over and over.

Where it became a little grating though was in a scheduled Tribute honouring Britney Spears, where Calderone/Gaga was to present the Award to Spears, he/she repeatedly interrupted that Pop Legend's one shining moment....  the one shining moment all her hard work in all these years as an Entertainer would culminate to.  Spears and Gaga both collected some of the Evening's more important Awards: the former nabbed Best Pop Video for Till the World Ends and the latter won Best Female Pop Video for Born this Way.

Adele not be outshone, charmed the Audience to a Standing Ovation with her rendition of Someone Like You from her top-selling 21 Disc, proving maybe we don't need over-the-top costumes and make-up to keep an audience entertained.  Less is more sometimes.

TONY BENNETT TO RELEASE "DUETS II" FEATURING AMY WINEHOUSE, LADY GAGA, MARIAH CAREY & MORE

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

With 100 Albums released, 15 Grammy Awards including the coveted Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, legendary Crooner Tony Bennett is showing no signs of stopping. In fact, Bennett turns 85 years-old today and to celebrate this important milestone, he releases Duets II, a follow-up to 2006's Duets which was his best-selling Album ever.

What you need to know is the roster of talent he gathered for this Disc including several of my favourites. Lady Gaga. Mariah Carey. Aretha Franklin. Sheryl Crow. Andrea Bocelli. Josh Groban. Michael Bublé. John Mayer. Queen Latifah. AMY WINEHOUSE. Yes, you read correctly. The Disc features one of Winehouse's final recordings before her untimely passing.

Duets II is in stores September 20, 2011 via Sony Music Canada and the complete Track List is as follows:

THANK YOU, AMY WINEHOUSE.

Mr. Will-W. & Amy Winehouse

It is with great sadness that I learned of Amy Winehouse's death earlier today.  Found deceased in her North London home, many are saying that she had died of a Drug Overdose, although Autopsy reports will soon confirm her actual cause of death.

Winehouse's Back to Black to this day remains one of my favourite Albums of all time and she will never know how much she helped her Fans around the World overcome their own broken hearts with her Music. What makes this so much more tragic is that Winehouse herself never was able to overcome her own Heartbreak.  

Back to Black was released at a rough time in my life.  I was coming out of Cancer treatment and like Winehouse was trying my best to get over someone who was wrong for me.  Songs like Back to Black, Just Friends, Love is a Losing Game and Tears Dry on their Own taught me that it was okay to not settle for an ordinary love and that I wasn't alone in my fight to at least try to feel okay.

NEW MUSIC: JESSIE J - DO IT LIKE A DUDE

Jessie J.

She's only 22, but Essex native Jessie J is already creating quite a splash on the Internet and overseas. A labelmate of Amy Winehouse on Universal Republic Records, the likes of Justin Timberlake have sung her praises, calling her "the best singer in the world". And she hasn't even released her album stateside yet.

Jessie J is a storied one. She made her stage debut in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Whistle Down the Wind at age eleven and at the age of 18 tragically suffered a minor stroke, then focussing on Songwriting. She actually co-wrote Miley Cyrus' catchy hit Party in the USA with Dr. Luke.  She currently is at work on a new track of Britney Spears' forthcoming album.

Her debut single is performing well in the UK right now, Do It Like a Dude, with little promotion. The gritty track Reggae-infused vocals was originally written for Rihanna, but kept for herself decidedly.  Its Video has garnered well over 5 million views on VEVO already.

See what you think of Jessie J below, courtesy of Universal Music. A name to look out for in 2011. Visit her official website here.

CEE LO GREEN - THE LADY KILLER REVIEW

It's this year's Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) in the sense that it is rare that a Traditional R&B/Soul album finds crossover success in this day and age.  Soulful Cee Lo Green releases his third solo studio effort The Lady Killer after a brief turn in the duo Gnarls Barkley, which saw the massive Billboard Hot 100 Chart number two hit single Crazy in 2006.  Back again and front-and-center where he belongs, Green is a star in a genre where Male Vocalists have been lacking for quite some time.

We've all heard Fuck You, or depending which part of the world you're located, FU or Forget You. The Smeezingtons-produced (includes Bruno Mars) hit has caught-on internationally with its Curtis Mayfield-like Motown swagger, appealing even to the most wholesome of demographics, with Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow just having covered it on Glee. Ideally, it would have been great if they could have lent their hands to a couple more collaborations here considering the magic they achieved together. But is Green a one-hit-per-album type artist? The Lady Killer certainly would prove that assumption wrong.

Bright Lights Big City is classic R&B, the type Smokey Robinson and and The O'Jays made, punctuated with the presence of a String Section; a fitting follow-up to the thrill of the album's first single. Green helps the amazing Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Hudson, Fergie) in co-producing the track Love Gun, taking a backseat to Guest Vocalist Lauren Bennett for a moment. What results is a bit of a James Bond-type moment, which works considering that much of the album is an homage to another era.

Satisfied is delightfully sunny and instantly likable, while Cry Baby owes much credit to some fantastic Horns as without them, it is just another sweet Motown number. Both tracks are produced by Fraser T. Smith, who has had a hand in some greatest tracks in recent memory, namely Broken Strings (James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado) and Break Your Heart (Taio Cruz). Green digs deeper emotionally on another Remi collaboration Old Fashioned, which really would have already been a fitting tight finish to the album, over No One's Gonna Love You.