Frank

Very lounge jazzy, which I generally don’t like, but she at least has one of those generational voices to set this album apart. That said, Back to Black is so much better it makes this album seem boring as hell.

Great voice, uninspired songwriting

Very silky, very jazzy; such a unique voice.

i fuck with ts, god jazz, fin stemme

Not bad for jazz After a while they all sound the same Once in a generation voice

Feel bad because Amy Winehouse is obviously an absolute icon with unbelievable levels of talent, but this is an objectively boring album.

Amy Winehouse obviously has that powerhouse voice, and this is a solid to pretty good album. But no business being on this list.

Found it kinda annoying

Good jazzy album

Um yeah I’m a big amy fan. This was so fun with so much personality she’s just so sassy.

everyone say rest in piece amy (rest in piece amy). This album is so amazing and her voice infuses the soul instrumentals with such a bleak but evocative message about what it's like to be a music star.

This is not her best but she was just dripping with talent.

This younger, less troubled version of Amy Winehouse may be less interesting and groundbreaking than the version we get on Back to Black, but it still showcases a powerful, unique voice that everyone should listen to before they die.

Good album, Amy winehouse was such a great singer taken far too soon!

Always enjoy listening to Amy Winehouse, so today was good day! I wasn't familiar with this album, but there is a lot here that I loved and will be listening to again!

3,5 stars

Really good musically, vocally, and lyrically. But also just not really my thing at all, and to me it got pretty repetitive by the end.

Not as good as back to black

The sound of 2006-2014, in 2003 already - distinctive, confident, playful and sexy as fuck if not mind-blowing

Not sure exactly where she is on the all-time "gone too soon" rankings, but it should be pretty damn high. Just an all-time "Wait, she was how old when she recorded this?" album.

First listen on this one. No doubt that Amy Winehouse is a singular voice. But it's telling that this album didn't get a Stateside release until after Back to Black had blown the doors off over here. A few tracks in and this album seems to be having a had time figuring out exactly what it wants to be, jazz, soul, r&b?, some of each? Amy's voice here isn't as settled as it on later recordings - there's too little chest voice and makes it a bit tinny. Some of that is age and technique, but it also could have been improved with some better mics for her big voice and some clever production. She's naturally nasal and that adds a lot of high end to her timbre - not an issue if you know how to deal with it. Including the "Moody's Mood..." vocalese is interesting - her take is pretty straightforward and it shows her knowledge and versatility. Pulling off a tricky vocalese like this is deceptively hard. Now the production on "In My Bed" is quite good and rawness of her vocal benefits from this denser approach. "October Song" lays down a great groove, but I feel like the vocal is too busy - and it has an interpolation of "Lullaby of Birdland?" - apparently she wrote it for a pet canary. "What is it About Men" is another nicely balanced track - a good loungy groove. Final thoughts - the weird fuzzy bass on the opening track and again in the "Outro" is very cool, can't tell exactly what it is, a bari sax? a synth? a broken circuit in the board? There is a ton of potential throughout - but she does suffer a bit from the "there can never be enough notes in this phrase/melisma" form of soul singing. I much prefer a nice, connected legato that shows control. She achieves this at points on this album - but thank goodness for the albums yet to come. 3 Stars

Cohesion: 5/5 Theme & Narrative: /1 Sonic Identity: /1 Arrangement Synergy: /1 Genre Authenticity; /1 Transitions & Flow; /1 Production: 4.5/5 Clarity & Balance; 1/1 Vocal Delivery; 1/1 Sound Design; 0.5/1 - Think You sent me flying / cherry would be better without the beat Dynamic Depth; 1/1 Mastering; 1/1 Enjoyability: 4/5 Immediate Engagement; 0.5/1 Replay Value; 0.5/1 - Some good moments especially as a debut - Think it needs to grow on me a bit as can share the same sound Emotional Resonance; 1/1 Playlist Potential; 1/1 Sticking Power; 1/1 Songwriting: 5/5 Lyrics; 1/1 Melody; 1/1 Structure & Contrast; 1/1 Hook; 1/1 Prosody & Emotional Resolution; 1/1 Favourite Songs: 6/16 - Intro / Stronger Than Me - F*** Me Pumps - Moody’s Mood for Love / Teo Licks - In My Bed - Take The Box - Mr Magic (Through the Smoke) Final Thoughts: - Amy’s debut album, can successfully see how she perfected her own sound in Back to Black - Some flavours of samba - Powerfully identify where Raye takes some of her inspiration from in terms of sonic landscape

Back to Black rightfully belongs on this list of about 1,100 albums, but in my opinion, Amy Winehouse's debut album Frank isn't very good. The production is quite bland and the songwriting is inconsistent, so 16 tracks and around an hour is just way too much. Of course, Amy Winehouse was an amazing and charismatic singer. Not quite three stars.

Amy’s vocal delivery is incredible, but the instrumentals were a bit too safe for my taste.

Incredible for a debut but I think the reason we love this album as much as we do is because Amy didn’t give us enough across her short lifetime. It’s mid, for me.

I paired this with Adele's 25. In a vacuum, 25 out-sads FRANK (Hello) - but Amy's fate makes all her songs that much more tragic.

2 stars

Her voice and style of singing are incredible ofc. So smooth and jazzy. She understood heartbreak and knew how to use that pain more than most. Probably not her best album but still enjoyed it. <3Favs<3 You Sent me Flying In My Bed Amy Amy Amy(sounds like a song that would be on Hadestown)

Locked the fuck in. I’m going winehouse mode. I have a special place in my heart for Amy as she was an artist a was super drawn to while listening to the radio as a wee child. She is so iconic and this album is no different. Funk, jazz, rock, this truly is a delicious marriage of sounds. She is so confident and vulnerable, it draws you in. I cannot pick a favorite here, but I keep coming back to October song honestly. Fly high Amy

It was ok. Her voice, and her performances, are amazing. But musically, I didn't find a lot of interest in it

Some gems that are foreshadowing for nearly perfect Back to Black.

Not as good as Back to Black.

Too much Manhattan Transfer and not enough Dap-Kings.

Fine. I remember the other album being bigger, but both are just fine.

I do like Amy’s vibe. Back to Black is obviously the superior album.

ily amy

Genuinely, how have I gone this long and not heard this album AT LEAST once? The impact of the vibe on neo-soul in the 2000s and 2010s is so palpable. I feel like I am sitting in a coffee shop decked out in global village coffeehouse decor with a hot expresso by my side. Just chilling on a rainy day. The vocals and lyrics are so poignant. Highlighted all throughout with biting saxophone and seamless production. Splendid. Fav Tracks: "Stronger Than Me", "In My Bed" and "Amy Amy Amy".

Frank - Amy Winehouse (2003) What a voice and talent. Arguably one of the most expressive, poignant voice of her generation. Very nice production too. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7.5/10

Rate: 1000/10. AMY AMY AMY <3 <3 <3

Muy buen álbum, lo tenía de nombre pero nunca lo había escuchado. Revivan a Amy y sacrifiquen a Beyonce.

Está bien, me pareció que mantiene el estilo del otro álbum, pero está como que un escalón abajo.

I've always thought this had the edge over 'Back To Black'. It's less polished, but for me, that makes it. Might be too long though. Sits on my shelves. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ ★★★★☆(7/10) Total reviewed : 465 Already owned : 102 Purchased : 25 To buy 335

F Me Pumps = Walking in a Winter Wonderland

4/10 - overrated

Back to back Amy Winehouse albums. I kind of wish I got this one before "Back to Black" though. As good as this one is, albeit a little plain production wise and a bit long, its nowhere near as good as the follow up and I think that impacts my rating just a bit. Is it a good debut album? Yes, especially compared to other debuts I've gotten. Is it better than "Back to Black?" No. 3.5 rounded down to a 3/5

Kovaa kivaa kuunneltavaa, muttei Amyn paras levy. Ääni säväyttää aina silti.

Ihan ok! Kuuntelin oikeesti tosi ajatuksella. Tosi hyviä mellow-melodioita ja """saundeja""" mutta ei jotenki menny itelle sieluun. Hauska että tää on näinkin uus.

Onhan tää makee levy, mut ei ihan yllä Back to Blackin tasolle mun silmissä. Paljon hyviä hetkiä ja biisit on makeita, mut kokonaisuus tuntuu vielä vähän hiomattomalta.

Tää oli jotenkin vähän työläs ja ihan parii biisii lukuunottamatta ei oikeen ikinä lähteny. Amyn ääni on samaan aikaan upee, mut sit jotenkin vähän kuitenkin tökkii - tai ehkä se on enemmän se tulkinta mikä ei mones kohtaa ihan sit uppoo kuitenkaan. Mut all around ihan jees 🤷

Oi, Amy. Annan puolueellisesti viisi tähteä vaikka oikeasti tää ansaitsisi varmaan nelosen. Mut mulla on tälle seksistisistä lyriikoista ja vähän turhasta pituudesta huolimatta jotenkin sweet spot sydämessä tälle albumille, koska tää saa aina mut hyvälle mielelle. Ei liian vakavaa musiikkia. Kuka kuulostaa 19-vuotiaana tuolta? Tää on musta levy täynnä bängereitä ja joka kuuntelulla löydän uusia. Tykkään myös tästä koruttomasta tuotannosta.

Liked the Jazzy start, R&B section was good but not as cozy

I mean, you're going to listen to one Amy Winehouse album, make it the other one. This is ok, but it goes on for way too long.

Lovely voice, but it’s clear the production wasn’t up to snuff on this one. Not bad though.

Not as good as Back to Black. I find her voice pretty annoying on here.

It was fine. Cool to see the start and promise, but later work is what really set her status as a star. Really great voice

Yeah, I’m just not a fan

i love this album, i love amy. that’s it

FRANK by Amy Winehouse ———————————————— A cool debut album with decent but not spectacular songs 🟡 🟡 🟡 ⚫️ ⚫️ 56% ———————————————— Amy’s debut released in 2003 at the age of 19. She sounds more mature than that - almost fully borne into the talented singer she would become. The album drips with her young talent and a cool jazz schtick - reminiscent of Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra (after who the album is named). But the album also has relatively simple songs, and suffers from equally simple musical arrangements, and perhaps rushed production - and so it misses out on what it could have been. Initial sales reached No 13, and were strongly boosted after her untimely death, re-entering the charts and reaching No 5 going quadruple platinum. Amy herself said she hated the album, thought it was poorly marketed, never listened to it, and would not have a copy in the house - harsh and self critical but indicative that it was not the strong debut she hoped for. Some tension then in the rating with the general reception being revised strongly upwards on second entry - for me it gets 3 stars per first release - mainly because for me there are no stand out songs.

stripped down from what I associate with her. I do love her tho.

I liked this album better than her debut; the songs felt tighter and less frantic. Must be the jazz element that was more prevalent here.

I get why she had so many followers. Her voice and technique were simply amazing and the bands accompanying her also too. Apart from a couple of songs, the album didn't really do much for me. Maybe it's just because it's not my favorite genre, but I felt like most of it was pretty standard stuff for that style of music

Album #1089 (my last one)! And what a great way to send off the journey. Every time I listen to Amy Winehouse, I marvel at how ridiculously strong her voice is. How can you not adore that cutting, emotive high croon that could be heard across a loud ballroom? What a legend. Frank isn't nearly as strong, catchy, or punchy than her untouchable follow-up Back To Black, but the former has its fair share of great tracks too. Even if quite a few of them sound the same on account of using near-identical instrument textures. After a jazz-improv opener (~20s or so), we get the classically soulful Stronger Than Me. Perfectly good, a serviceable Winehouse track, until the repeated title lyric at around 3:00 where the band take it up a notch. Love the trumpet especially. And the extended outro lets instruments like the drums and guitar shine. We jump straight into You Sent Me Flying, an excellent piano ballad that morphs into a new section with more kick and energy to it (while still keeping the same primary piano contribution). The outro, Cherry, stands out as a little bizarre given it isn't a self-contained track yet sounds completely different to You Sent Me Flying. Still groovy as heck though. Know You Now has unusual, distinctive harmonies and a lovely Latin feel. That percussion part gives me jazz band flashbacks. Fuck Me Pumps is of course the hit track here – and for good reason. It's damn catchy. The star of I Heard Love Is Blind, easily, is that expressively strummed acoustic guitar. Again, very much a Latin feel to this piece. Though Moody's Mood For Love is fairly straightforward as Winehouse tracks go, the exceptionally understated outro Teo Licks is fantastic. That sax is incredible. Zero notes. (There Is) No Greater Love stumbles around, love-drunk, without any obvious tempo that I can detect. (Rubato!) A very good song. I love Winehouse's ballads. It's contrasted by the insistent foot-tapper In My Bed. Not super convinced by the trumpet here – it sounds a bit like somebody added MIDI brass in post to octave-harmonise the actual melody. Take The Box? Don't mind if I do. Winehouse's enunciation really shines here. Everything just works: the melody, that beautiful vibrato, the soft backing vocals, the even softer brass way back in the mix, the self-assured but laid-back drumming... October Song, though a bit forgettable in terms of hooks, doesn't really do anything wrong when viewed in isolation. Though the song What Is It About Men? sounds incredible (as usual), the lyrics blame men as a collective for being bad people, presumably based on Winehouse's past boyfriends. I promise, girl, there are good men out there. The vast majority of them, even. I can't really fault the song though, because the wah-wah synth(? or guitar?) makes it distinctive and smooth as heck. Help Yourself calls me out for having a degree in philosophy. Thanks? I like the little repeated horn melody. On the first record by Amy, Amy's Amy Amy Amy stands out nicely. I like when the girl in the background (possibly Amy) says "Amy Amy Amy" before Amy herself says Amy a few times. Good job Amy. While the "Outro" track (though there are still two hidden tracks remaining) is pretty inconsequential, it easily bests the vast majority of hip-hop interludes, so I'll let it slide. Brother, the penultimate song, doesn't too too much new apart from those gorgeous layered backing vocals. So light, delicate, and yet so musically interesting. The closer, Mr Magic, has perhaps the cleanest production of all the songs thus far – at least in terms of instruments. The brass and keyboards are so, so clean. It's been a blast, yo. 4/5 Key tracks: You Sent Me Flying, Fuck Me Pumps, Take The Box, Mr Magic (Through The Smoke)

Beautiful singing and melodies, but I didn't love the lyrics.

A voz ja lá estava, a composição a espaços tambem, mas nao senti que fosse coeso. Um preview do que estava para vir

Nope

# Album Name: Frank # Artist: Amy Winehouse # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Pretty average. Was expecting a lot more. Not a patch on the 2nd album. Great voice ofc. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

Incredibly boring. I find her to be overrated. Embarrassing lyrics. Back to black atleast has some hits.

Good Album for me; it shows Amy Winehouse without the commercial songs, but pure with her ideas and voice, and really good production by Salaam Remi, which I really like. Frank has two very good songs: ‘’In My Bed’’ and ‘’Amy Amy Amy’’ 7 out of 10.

2 de 1001 — Embora o álbum seja criticado pela aparente busca de validação masculina de Amy Winehouse, "Frank" é um reflexo da juventude da cantora que tinha apenas 19 anos em seu debut e da época em que o álbum foi lançando. Mesmo que músicas como "Stronger Than Me" e "Fuck Me Pumps" possam reforçar esteriótipos de gênero, a produção e o talento lírico de Amy são elementos que tornam o álbum indispensável e permitem que o ouvinte aprecie as músicas.

Poor poor Amy

Finally, something that really stood out to me! I loved loved loved this album!!

The album was mostly ok, with vocals at the forefront and minimal backing, but over time I found it a bit tiring. Jazz bits occasionally pulled me out of the vibe and it just doesn’t quite click for me.

Didn't get along with this album as well as "Back To Black". It was still enjoyable overall and Amy's voice is solid, though the slurring style was a little irritating in some tracks. The theme gets a bit stale, and the backing isn't quite as good here. It's still interesting and I enjoyed the jazzy vibes though. Still had my foot tapping and still a huge talent.

The only thing this album has going for it is Amy Winehouse's incredible vocals. Everything else reminds me of everything I hate about hiphop with repetitive backing with a drum track driving me insane. Unfortunately that lands it at a solid 2

Es mejor su siguiente album, pero, sin entender las letras, resulta ser un buen disco debut de una voz peculiar con unas canciones retro.

I knew I was in for a good time when this came up

It surprised me how tolerable I found this considering how much I dislike all things Frank Sinatra. I guess that's a testament to the skill of Amy Winehouse.

I guess this was a big deal because it was jazz-ish music about going out and getting drunk and partying... But I find her voice really nasal and the songs a bit meh.

A great album all in all- much better than back 2 black I think. Amy has an amazing voice on her that just improves any song. So many of the tracks have such catchy hooks and choruses that get stuck in your head. It’s insane she was so young when making this project..her, 19 releasing a well-renowned album..me, 20 rating albums at 1am when I should be studying :( ..anyways standouts have to be ‘mr magic’, ‘in my bed’ and ‘Amy Amy Amy’. Frank is an album that has aged marvellously

Surprisingly good. Didn't think she was actually as good as this.

Timeless and brilliant.

Just ok

I know the name, but not the artist. Honestly I might revisit it.

This one's not for me. Despite Winehouse's vocal talent, most of these tracks are fairly unmemorable and the album's sound just isn't my thing. Hard to believe she was only 19 when this was recorded because she already seems so jaded here. Poor kid.

Збс белая пытается в джазик и довольно успешно

Was ok. Next one a lot better

I love this album it is my all time favorite album i have done schoolwork on this album i LOVE this album i have talked to all of my friends about this album i love amy

I was interested in this one, because I quite liked the Amy Winehouse I had heard. Turns out all of it was from her other album. This album is merely okay. The instrumentals and vocals are a bit too toothless and easy listening while the lyrics are often annoying.

This didnt resonate with me. She has an undoubtedly good voice and this is her before the polish and production and fame took over so could be more interesting but it sounds unfinished and inconsistent. The profuction has dated a lot more than her later albums and she hasnt worked out who she is so the album flips between genre too frequently to build up any cohesion. The songs are also less well written with some pretty immature lyrics and no real stand out. tent pole songs to lift everything up.

This review is based on the US edition of the album, which forgoes the track "Help Yourself". I remember getting Back to Black as my fourth album from this generator, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then earlier this year, I revisited that record for its 20th anniversary, and it holds up. But here's the thing - it feels like Back to Black is the one Amy Winehouse album that comes to mind these days. Most people don't think about her debut, Frank. Don't get me wrong; Back to Black is clearly better than Frank. What makes Frank's slightly inferior is how unfocused it can be. It comes off as a series of musical vignettes that don't tie together into a cohesive narrative. All the while, she and her producers experimented to find her footing, including jazz standards, medleys, occasional hip-hop cadences, and two hidden tracks after an outro piece that really didn't fit with the rest of the record. That said, this record is ambitious, planting the seeds that would blossom on Back to Black. I can hear what was to come from bops like "Stronger Than Me", "Know You Now", "Fuck Me Pumps", and "October Song", alongside the smoldering bitterness in recounting the breakup on "Take the Box". But this record also has some intriguing quirks I was really into. I liked the intimacy Amy elicited as she strummed her acoustic guitar while the horns ramped up in the back on "I Heard Love is Blind", followed later by the smooth jazz take on Isham Jones's "(There Is) No Greater Love". I can recognize how earnest she wore the Sarah Vaughan influence on her sleeve with the piano-driven "You Sent Me Flying" and the trip-hop rendition of James Moody's "Moody's Mood for Love", even if the latter's clanking, reverbed percussion got a tad grating. Plus, she absolutely worked that hip-hop cadence on "In the Bed" and the sly funk of "What Is It About Men". Even without the tight cohesiveness Back to Black had, Frank is still a solid debut that showcased a bright star. It sucks that Amy Winehouse left us so soon, but it's still damn impressive that her brief discography is still this amazing.

Amy's really hard to assess - she definitely has chops and good taste. She covers Mr. Magic, she paraphrases Sarah Vaughn. She also has a level of patois that really seems strange for a middle class british woman.

30 Sep 2026 · 6/10 It's good, but not varied enough. Also I really dislike cursive singing. Her other album is significantly better. Overall it's quite good, but I just didn't like that many of the individual songs.

Amy, Amy, Amy ❤️

I'm familiar with Amy Winehouse as she was releasing music in one of my favourite periods 1996-2007. However, not my favourite genre.

just wasn’t feeling most of it

Listening session: september 30th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: heard a few songs before Thoughts: so Amy Winehouse’s peak is definitely at Back to Black, especially when it comes to the songwriting, but I appreciate the jazzier aspect of this album Favourite tracks: Fuck Me Pumps, (There Is) No Greater Love & Mr Magic (Through The Smoke)

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No takeaways from me, but it was a pretty enjoyable listen. I'd have to say 3.5? It was fun, she has a great voice, the music is good, but it's not something I'd be seeking out to listen to. This isn't even her most popular album, though, so I'm sure she has other great stuff as well.

A beautiful album by Amy—I never get tired of it. The music is great, and her voice is amazing. I love listening to it over and over again. 5/5