AMY WINEHOUSE
Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Island
As 2011 comes to a cold, wintry close, it’s time to reflect on the music stories of the year – including the one which came as a shock to everyone, and no one. The death of Amy Winehouse in July made many people wonder what tracks she had left us, and this posthumous collection gives us the answers. Bringing together a smattering of older songs and souped-up treatment for recent demos, Between The Cheats and Like Smoke are the only teasers for the album that never came, the former a big, fluffy girl group confection, the latter a piece of ‘60s-sharpened R&B, with an added rap from Nas. Winehouse’s voice is certainly weaker in her final recordings, though; her talent for sassy, waspish delivery is long gone. But when you hear the first song she sang for her producer, Salaam Remi – her take on the bossa nova classic, The Girl From Ipanema – it’s hard not to boggle at the talent she had and how huge her influence was, despite such a small back catalogue (only 2003’s Frank and 2006’s Back To Black). Our very own beehived tattooed Olive Oyl, with one of pop’s greatest ever voices, will be very much missed.

R.E.M.
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1980-2011
Warner Brothers
Another one of 2011’s big stories? R.E.M. finally bid us goodbye. After 31 years of Michael Stipe’s crazy dancing, Peter Buck’s guitar-jangling and Mike Mills’ lovely harmonies, this is – amazingly – their first full-career Best Of. The first CD is a must if you don’t know the music they made before they had mainstream fame: try the thrilling pop-punk of Radio Free Europe, the joyful country of Don’t Go Back To Rockville, or the fierce rock attack of Finest Worksong. Second CD highlights – Losing My Religion and Man On The Moon aside – include 1991’s darkly gorgeous lament Country Feedback, and lost 1998 classic At My Most Beautiful. Three new tracks bolster the package too, the best being We All Go Back To Where We Belong, set to soundtrack an emotional TV sporting moment near you, very soon. Enjoy your retirement, gentlemen.

PROFESSOR GREEN
At Your Inconvenience
Virgin
Going into 2012, British rappers are still big news in pop, and Professor Green (27-year-old London lad Stephen Manderson) remains one of the biggest. Swaggering into the New Year with a No.1 behind him (the ubiquitous Read All About It with Emeli Sande), At Your Inconvenience packs together slick, polished beats, angsty raps about fame, and plenty more in the way of sharp pop duets. Try the drum and bass-driven Trouble (“I was a boy, I’m a man now”), the boastful braggadocio of the Eminem-like Avalon, or our personal favourite, the Pixies-sampling Spinning Out.

REN HARVIEU
Ren Harvieu
Island
So what’s new for 2012? There’s lots of long-toothed legends coming out of the woodwork – tours for Black Sabbath (including Ozzy!) and The Stone Roses, rock album returns for Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Motorhead, and new records by ‘80s icons like Madonna, Adam Ant and Dexys Midnight Runners. But there’re new voices too, and here’s one of our favourites – the velvety-voiced Salford lass Ren Harvieu, who swears like a trooper but sings like an angel. Imagine the lush, classic sounds of a new Bond girl in the making – perfect music to hot up these dark, chilly months.

Jude Rogers is waving some fond farewells