With her debut album Frank, Amy Winehouse proves to be one of the most original, honest and brave singer/songwriters to emerge in recent years. Over the course of the 13 songs, she manages to do everything required of a classic album. This is a stark piece of work, comprising husky, frequently sexually charged vocals, painfully honest lyrics and soft trumpets, laidback beats and sparse guitar work. It seems that soulful jazz doesn't always have to be bland--it can also be playful, twisted and arrogant ("Amy Amy Amy").

"Fuck Me Pumps" charts a seemingly guilt-free act of infidelity: "What do you expect when you leave me here alone?" she asks coyly, as if by way of justifiable explanation. "You wouldn't want me to be lonely," she adds. You can't help warming to her, despite what she's saying. A unique sense of humour (how rare in music now) and a no-bull attitude make for an interesting, compelling debut. Frank? Yes, but refreshingly so. You wouldn't want her for a girlfriend, but as a life companion she may yet prove indispensable. --Cortman Virtue
'Frank' is the debut album from North London singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. Described as a cross between Erykah Badu and Nina Simone, the album is a mix of downbeat and uplifting jazz numbers featuring Winehouse's distinctive husky and soulful vocals. The single 'Stronger Than Me' is also included.

Customer Rating:
Summary: AMY WINEHOUSE'S FRANK
Comment: I was introduced to Amy Winehouse when I finally purchased Back to Black months after the CD had been released. After hearing "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab", I still didn't know what to expect from the entire CD, so I decided to wait until a friend of mine finally convinced me to buy it. The CD had an old school feel to it and my favorite tracks ended up being "Back To Black", "Tears Dry On Their Own", "Me & Mrs. Jones", "Love Is A Losing Game" and "Rehab". I was seacrhing for music one day on amazon and I found out that she was
re-relasing a CD that she had previously released overseas in 2003 entitled "Frank".

The CD gets off to a nice start with the track "Stronger Than Me". Amy speaks about a courtship where while she is 7 years younger, she seems to be the wiser of the 2 and she wants a man that is being just that, a man. She doesn't feel that she should be the one telling him or advising him to be a man. She expects him to already know those requirements. It also seems that he wants a relationship and she just wants him to satisfy her in the bedroom only. Things get even better with "You Sent Me Flying". The track starts off as a piano led slow jam and midway through the track it becomes an uptempo track. Amy talks about being caught off guard by the man that she was involved with kicking her to the curb. This track sounds different than anything Amy did on "Back To Black". There is no old school 60s or 70s track in the background. The beat will remind you of a more up to date r&b track. "Know You Now" has Amy wanting to get to know the man that she has just met. Sometimes in relationships people want to take things slow and get to know the person. In this instance, it seems as if Amy is on the fast track. "F____ Me Pumps" is a funny but true tale about a particular type of woman. This woman wants to achieve a certain type of status by dating and being seen with famous celebrities and/or athletes. She also has no concept of commitment because they are so eager to live the fast life while they still have their physical attributes to get them what they want. "I Heard Love Is Blind", "Moody's Mood For Love" and "There Is No Greater Love" are all ballads that you heard and have come to love from Amy. These tracks sound as if they were the blueprint to the ballads that are found on "Back To Black". "I Heard Love Is Blind" is hialrious in some aspects because she is trying to find excuses for why she cheated on the man that she was with by saying since she was left alone for a particular time she had to "be" with someone. She says that while she was with the other man, she wasn't cheating because she was thinking of her #1 man. If you say so, Amy..lol My favorite track ends up being "In My Bed". Amy uses the beat from Nas' "Made U Look" from his
God's Son CD. Amy uses the track to create her own anthem about not wanting to catch any serious feelings for any particular man. She still wants the benefits of "relations" but she doesn't want to be tied down to any 1 man. The combination of the Nas track and Amy's lyrics and voice blend well together on this song. "Take The Box" has Amy frustrated because while she doesn't have to lay her eyes on a man that she broke up with, she doesn't want to be reminded of anything that has to do with him. She is coming to collect her belongings and in my opinion she is mad because she had to come by his place & doesn't want to deal with the situation anymore after today. "October Song" is an upbeat, midtempo track that is clearly different than anything that I have heard from her. I am not use to any positive vibes coming from any Amy Winehouse track. "What Is It About Men" has Amy questioning her ways when dealing with men in general. She is trying to understand why she is weak when it comes to certain aspects about men. "Amy Amy Amy" has Amy back to her devious ways when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex. After listening to "Amy, Amy, Amy" and the Outro, which are both on Track 12, you will find yourself treated to 2 nice bonus tracks that are just as nice as the rest of the tracks on "Frank". Track 12 clocks in at over 13 minutes long.

Overall, I feel that "Frank" is just as nice as Back to Black. "Frank" is the perfect introduction to "Back To Black". Once you listen to "Frank" you will notice certain aspects on "Frank" that made "Back To Black" the CD that it was. The production is different on "Frank" in some instances because of the traditional r&b sound on some tracks, but the quality is still A+ in my opinion. If you are a fan of Amy Winehouse then you should have both CDs in your collection. Let's just hope that she gets her personal life together so we can continue to hear these great CDs.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Yes, this is worth 5 stars
Comment: Like most people (I guess) I bought this album after the more recent Back to Black. Some say it's better, some say not as good. I can't quite decide either way, which should tell you one thing: it's excellent. The simple advice is that if you enjoyed B2B you'll enjoy this just as much. Don't hesitate. In some ways it's more honest, even though I'm not sure what I mean by that! AFAIK Frank was Amy Winehouse's first album, and as a result presumably a lot of people, myself included, missed it completely. Unfortunately all of the high-profile publicity about her private life has drawn attention from a vastly wider audience than might otherwise have been the case, but surely there's no denying that, before the downhill slide, she had genuine talent and she's not just a top-class singer but a great songwriter too - she was at least partly responsible for writing most of the songs here.

One niggle though. Why is it a good idea to make songs sound as if you're listening to a scratchy vinyl record? It's evident on four tracks: Stronger Than Me, Cherry, There Is No Greater Love, and parts of the 13-minute final track Amy Amy Amy. I had the same complaint with an Alicia Keys album, and there are many others. It's distracting and it just makes the whole listening experience less satisfying. What on earth is the point? I wish this 'fashion' would stop.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: My sister stole it!
Comment: My fiance bought me this album for my birthday years ago, I liked Amy's first single so thought I'd give the album a try. I loved it and played it non stop which irritated my sister. She's apparantly not into that kind of music but funnily enough, a year later I find the album in her car! She hasn't given it back and I've missed the album so much I've decided to buy another one and Amy's other album Back to Black.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb, wonderful, she just does no wrong!!
Comment: I also bought this after after falling in love with Amy's voice on Back to Black. She is truly an immense talent and leaves most other artists in her shadow. She is the Billie Holiday of the New Millenuim.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing - Better than Black to black
Comment: I bought back to black about 8 months ago and absoluetly loved that album. Prior to this I had heard all the talk about Amy's brilliance but had been quite skeptical, however even for the skeptic that I am Amy's voice is so great it demands attention. I then heard rehab and I liked that, I next heard You know i'm no good and though that's good too, finally I heard tears dry on their own and thought it was about time I bought Amy's album which I was totally blown away by. I was toying with the idea of getting frank but was worried that I wouldnt like it as it might not live up to back to black and boy was I wrong in my opinion it is even better than Black to Black and just highlights even further what a great talent Amy is and how versatile she is. The album is beautiful and I can't honestly say there is a single track on here that I dont like they are all great, however the standout tracks are, In my bed, Take the box, Sent me flying and Mr magic. Amy Winehouse is an amazing talent I cant wait for the next album.

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