12 new Amy Winehouse songs set for release?

A spokesperson close to Amy Winehouse's record label has said that the late singer had recorded around 12 new songs which may now see the light of day.

The anonymous source is said to be linked to Universal, which owns Winehouse's label Island, and revealed that though the songs are unfinished, their "framework" was in place. She had been in and out of the studio for the last three years, according to the spokesperson, who said:

"Amy had expressed an interest in getting back into the studio, and after some consultation everyone thought that would be a positive thing and a distraction from the other things she was dealing with".

He added:

"She had put down the bare bones of tracks and some were further along than others. People were getting very excited, quite frankly they were really good. We heard rough cuts and they sounded like vintage Amy".

Universal chief executive Lucian Grainge heard the songs as and when Winehouse was happy for him to do so. In November 2008 he spoke at the Music Industry Trust Awards, revealing that tracks he had heard sounded "sensational".

If any new material is released, it would have to be decided on by her parents, as well as her label and management company, reports The Guardian.

This time last year, Winehouse explained that her third album would be released in January 2011, saying:

The album will be six months at the most. It's going to be very much the same as my second album, where there's a lot of jukebox stuff and the songs that are… just jukebox, really".

Source: NME Magazine