Product Description

'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.

Track Listing

1. Intro / Stronger Than Me
2. You Sent Me Flying / Cherry
3. Know You Now
4. Fuck Me Pumps
5. I Heard Love Is Blind
6. Moody's Mood For Love / Teo Licks
7. (There Is) No Greater Love
8. In My Bed
9. Take The Box
10. October Song
11. What Is It About Men
12. Help Yourself
13. Amy Amy Amy / Outro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75 in Music
• Released on: 2003-10-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Running time: 58 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Customer Reviews

Deluxe Edition only worth it for diehard fans
Plenty of others have written helpful summaries of the original album 'Frank', so my contribution is to provide a review of the new 'Super Deluxe Edition', packaged as a box set with a new 17-track bonus disc of 'previously unreleased radio sessions, rare demos and mixes'. This new edition is no doubt aimed mainly at dedicated fans, who will already own the album itself; the problem is that dedicated fans will also already own most of the 'rare' songs included here.

Of the tracks featured on the bonus disc, only a handful are genuinely 'new', and all but one have been heard before in some form. Admittedly, that one unheard song - a cover of the Gershwin classic 'Someone to Watch Over Me' - is absolutely gorgeous, truly sounding like it could be a lost 1930s jazz club recording. The other demos are interesting to hear, and act as a timely reminder of how incredible Winehouse's vocal talent actually is. However, the remainder of the material isn't quite as exciting. 'What It Is' is described here as an 'original demo', but as far as I can tell, it's identical to the version used as a B-side on the single 'Stronger Than Me'. The remixes have all been featured on past singles, and I'm baffled as to why two mediocre B-sides have been included while the beautiful acoustic number 'Best Friends' - a fan favourite, and surely her best ever B-side - has been left out. The live tracks and radio sessions are nice, but even for hardcore fans, they're significantly less than thrilling.

It's hard not to feel that, in the absence of any new material from the troubled singer, this collection has been hastily cobbled together to capitalise on the success of 'Back to Black', not to mention Winehouse's continued tabloid notoriety. If you're a huge fan, you're bound to want this new edition anyway, out of curiosity or completism; but if you're a newcomer to Amy's music, my advice is to buy 'Back to Black' (undoubtedly her greatest work and a true modern classic) and then the original, one-disc version of 'Frank' - you can pick up both on Amazon for less than this box set costs.

My sister stole it!
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.

Superb, wonderful, she just does no wrong!!
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.