Lioness was
released in December 2011 to raise money for the Amy Winehouse Foundation, set
up after her death in July. Containing b-sides and previously
unreleased tracks, the album is a treasure trove, among the gems is the original version of Wake Up Alone:
This version credits Paul O’Duffy as Producer, not Mark
Ronson, who is credited on the album version. The difference in production style gives
a more emotive and intimate song. Where the album version (at the bottom of this
post) maintains a swaying, pop feel, this version has a freer, jazzy feel.
A lot of this comes from the free-comping guitar, and the
stripped down drums. It gives Amy more freedom to linger on
certain notes, sit just behind the beat, and play with the melody. While
personally, I find the guitar to be distracting in the first half of
the song, it settles down after the first chorus. The steadiness of the guitar becomes a foil
for the improvised feel of the vocals.
Overall, it’s hard to say one version is better than the
other because they are so different. Mark Ronson’s version clearly
focuses sticking to the style of the rest of Back
to Black. This is no reason to
denigrate his talent as a producer – he is a big reason for the Back to Black's success. However,
O’Duffy’s production places the focus squarely on Amy’s outstanding voice,
which makes the song a stand alone work of art. As promised, here is the album version so you can make your own choice:
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