Frank (Amy Winehouse album)

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Frank
Studio album by Amy Winehouse
Released 20 October 2003 (2003-10-20)
Recorded 2002–03
Genre R&B, neo soul, jazz, soul
Length 58:48
Label Island
Producer Amy Winehouse, Salaam Remi, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth, Matt Rowe
Amy Winehouse chronology
Frank
(2003)		 Back to Black
(2006)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition cover
Singles from Frank
  1. "Stronger Than Me"
    Released: 6 October 2003
  2. "Take the Box"
    Released: 12 January 2004
  3. "In My Bed"/"You Sent Me Flying"
    Released: 5 April 2004
  4. "Fuck Me Pumps"/"Help Yourself"
    Released: 23 August 2004
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[1]
Entertainment Weekly A−[2]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[3]
The New York Times (favorable)[4]
Pitchfork Media (4.9/10)[5]
PopMatters (7/10)[6]
Rolling Stone 2.5/5 stars[7]
The Times (favorable)[8]
USA Today 3.5/4 stars[9]
The Washington Post (favorable)[10]

Frank is the debut studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released 20 October 2003 on Island Records. Production for the album took place during 2002 to 2003 and was handled by Winehouse, Salaam Remi, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth and Matt Rowe. Its title alludes to the nature and tone of Winehouse's lyrics on the album,[11] as well as one of her influences, Frank Sinatra.[12]

Upon its release, Frank received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Winehouse several accolades, including an Ivor Novello Award. Since its original release in the United Kingdom, the album has been reissued in Canada, the United States and Australia. On 18 December 2008, it was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, denoting shipments in excess of 900,000 copies in the UK.[13]

Contents

Background [edit]

[icon] This section requires expansion. (March 2013)

In the liner notes for Winehouse's 2011 album Lioness: Hidden Treasures, producer Salaam Remi wrote about the track "Half Time", an outtake from the recording sessions for Frank, and revealed that Frank's title refers partly to Frank Sinatra, an early influence on Winehouse.[12]

Release and promotion [edit]

The album was released by Island Records in October 2003 in the United Kingdom, and in the United States on 20 November 2007. The album spawned the singles "Stronger Than Me", "Take the Box", "In My Bed"/"You Sent Me Flying" and "Fuck Me Pumps"/"Help Yourself". The album was reissued in a deluxe edition in the UK on 12 May 2008.[14] This edition includes an eighteen-track bonus disc including rare tracks, remixes, B-sides and live performances.[14] In New Zealand, with the album re-released as a deluxe edition, it debuted at number twenty-six on the week starting 19 May 2008, nearly five years after it was originally released.[15]

Critical reception [edit]

Frank received generally positive reviews from most music critics.[16] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 11 reviews, which indicates generally favourable reviews.[16] Billboard called the album "stellar" and Winehouse's vocals "wobblier than now, yet still astounding."[17] Allmusic writer John Bush gave it 4 out of 5 stars and called Winehouse "an excellent vocalist possessing both power and subtlety".[1] Nate Chinen of The New York Times lauded her original lyrics and described the album's musical style as "glossy admixture of breezy funk, dub and jazz-inflected soul".[4] The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin commended its loose, organic songcraft and wrote that it "features languid, wide-open neo-soul grooves and jazzy vamping".[18] BBC Collective writer Matt Walton called it "an honest, refreshingly personal record" and noted its music as "classic jazz crooning dirtied with her other influences – Ben Folds Five, Stevie Wonder and Ms. Dynamite".[19] New York Daily News writer Jim Farber commended Winehouse's "brutal honesty" and wrote that it "shows none of the stumble of an artist's baby steps... a remarkably assured debut".[20] Robert Christgau was unimpressed, giving the album a "dud" score ((dud)).[21]

Beccy Lindon of The Guardian described Winehouse's sound as "somewhere between Nina Simone and Erykah Badu... at once innocent and sleazy".[3] Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman found its musical style reminiscent of Sade.[2] MusicOMH's John Murphy compared Winehouse's vocals to those of Macy Gray and Erykah Badu, while noting her lyrics as "commendably feisty and, as the album title suggests, frank".[11] BBC Online writer Greg Boraman commented on her influences, stating "Amy's influences (Vaughan, Dinah Washington and the more contemporary like Badu et al) are obvious but not over powering and Winehouse has enough attitude, talent and chutzpah to make any comparisons fleeting and pointless".[22] Dan Cairns of The Times commended its "hybrid" sound and called the album "a staggeringly assured, sit-up-and-listen debut, both commercial and eclectic, accessible and uncompromising".[8] The album was nominated for two BRIT Awards and was short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize.[23] It earned Winehouse an Ivor Novello Award.[20] The album was included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, edited by Robert Dimery.

In retrospective reviews for both Pitchfork Media and Rolling Stone, critic Douglas Wolk expressed a mixed response towards Winehouse's themes and connected them to her public image at the time,[5][7] writing in the former review, "in the light of her subsequent career, Frank comes off as the first chapter in the Romantic myth of the poet who feels too deeply and ends up killing herself for her audience's entertainment".[5] Adversely, PopMatters writer Mike Joseph stated in his review of its re-release, "What Frank winds up reinforcing is the fact that Winehouse’s success... is based on pure talent rather than good producers or gimmicks".[6] The Washington Post's Bill Friskics-Warren noted most of its content as "sultry ballads and shambling neo-soul jams", while writing that it "more than confirms what the fuss over Winehouse – then just 19 and with a lot fewer tattoos – was originally all about... her attitude and command were already there. And then some".[10] Elysa Gardner of USA Today wrote "The re-release actually shows more range, wit and distinction than Black did... Winehouse fuses her influences with such breezy authority that the songs never sound flagrantly derivative or stale".[9]

Commercial performance [edit]

 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number sixty before climbing to number thirteen in January 2004. It has since been certified double platinum for shipments in excess of 600,000 copies. During the chart run of Winehouse's second album, 2006's Back to Black, Frank re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number twenty-two in February 2007, as well as at number forty on two separate occasions in May 2007, becoming a mainstay of the UK chart throughout 2007. As of November 2007 it had sold a total of 495,891 copies in the UK. As of mid-March 2008, it had sold 675,000 copies in the UK, and had sold 362,700 since February 2007, making it the thirty-seventh best-selling album for 2007, despite its original release four years earlier. It sold a further 228,000 copies in 2008, five years after its release. The album sold approximately 22,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States. Following the 2008 Grammy Awards, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 chart and climbed to number sixty-seven. It has sold a total of 307,000 copies in the United States.[24] Frank re-entered the US chart and reached a new peak position of number thirty-three, following Winehouse's death on 23 July 2011. The album also re-entered the UK chart at number five on 31 July 2011. It then rose two positions to number three the following week on 7 August, becoming the album's highest-charting position in the UK. As of December 2011, the album has sold 981,147 copies in the UK.[25]

Track listing [edit]

UK edition
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Intro"/"Stronger Than Me"   Winehouse/Winehouse, Salaam Remi 3:54
2. "You Sent Me Flying"/"Cherry"   Winehouse, Felix Howard/Winehouse, Remi 6:50
3. "Know You Now"   Winehouse, Gordon Williams, Earl "Chinna" Smith, Delroy "Chris" Cooper, Astor Campbell, Donovan Jackson 3:03
4. "Fuck Me Pumps"   Winehouse, Remi 3:20
5. "I Heard Love Is Blind"   Winehouse 2:10
6. "Moody's Mood for Love"/"Teo Licks"   James Moody, Eddie Jefferson, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields/Winehouse 3:28
7. "(There Is) No Greater Love"   Isham Jones, Marty Symes 2:08
8. "In My Bed"   Winehouse, Remi 5:17
9. "Take the Box"   Winehouse, Luke Smith 3:20
10. "October Song"   Winehouse, Matt Rowe, Stefan Skarbek 3:24
11. "What It Is About Men"   Winehouse, Howard, Paul Watson, L. Smith, Williams, E. Smith, Wilburn "Squiddley" Cole, Cooper, Jackson 3:29
12. "Help Yourself"   Winehouse, Jimmy Hogarth 5:01
13. "Amy Amy Amy"/"Outro"

"Brother"

"Mr Magic (Through the Smoke)"  		 Winehouse, Rowe, Skarbek/Winehouse, Remi
Winehouse, E. Smith, Teodross Avery, Jackson, Campbell, Williams
Winehouse, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter		 13:14

Personnel [edit]

  • Timothy Hutton – horn
  • Donovan Jackson – keyboards, organ, Rhodes
  • Gregory Jackson – bass
  • Kate Lower – coordinator
  • Michael Nash Associates – cover design
  • Charles Moriarty – cover photography
  • Gary "Mon" Noble – engineer, mixing
  • Steve "Esp" Nowa – assistant engineer
  • Valerie Phillips – photography
  • John Piretti – assistant engineer
  • Bruce Purse – baritone horn, bass trumpet, flugelhorn, trumpet
  • Salaam Remi – arranger, drum programming, drums, electric bass, electric upright bass, mixing, organ, percussion, producer
  • Jony Rockstar – additional producer
  • Matt Rowe – backing vocals, producer, trumpet
  • Jeremy Shaw – guitar
  • Nick Shymansky – A&R
  • Stefan Skarbek – backing vocals, trumpet
  • Martin Slattery – Hammond organ, horn, Wurlitzer
  • Earl "Chinna" Smith – guitar
  • Luke Smith – bass, keyboards, piano
  • Lenny Underwood – keyboards, piano
  • Richard Wilkinson – additional drums
  • Brent Williams – mixing assistant
  • Troy Wilson – drums

Charts [edit]

Weekly charts [edit]

Chart (2004–11) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[26] 23
Austrian Albums Chart[27] 5
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[28] 35
Canadian Albums Chart[29] 23
Croatian Albums Chart[30] 19
Danish Albums Chart[31] 16
Dutch Albums Chart[32] 7
European Top 100 Albums[33] 13
French Albums Chart[34] 9
German Albums Chart[35] 9
Greek Albums Chart[36] 11
Hungarian Albums Chart[37] 30
Irish Albums Chart[38] 15
Italian Albums Chart[39] 7
Mexican Albums Chart[40] 20
New Zealand Albums Chart[41] 22
Polish Albums Chart[42] 5
Portuguese Albums Chart[43] 10
Spanish Albums Chart[44] 6
Swiss Albums Chart[45] 16
UK Albums Chart[46] 3
US Billboard 200[47] 33
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[48] 26

Year-end charts [edit]

Chart (2008) Position
Austrian Albums Chart[49] 27
French Albums Chart[50] 48
German Albums Chart[51] 37
Spanish Albums Chart[52] 35
Chart (2011) Position
Austrian Albums Chart[53] 72
Italian Albums Chart[54] 87
Polish Albums Chart[55] 95

Certifications [edit]

Country Certification
Australia Gold[56]
Austria Gold[57]
Belgium Gold[58]
Brazil Gold[59]
Denmark Gold[60]
Europe 2× Platinum[61]
Germany Platinum[62]
Italy Gold[63]
Poland Gold[64]
Portugal Gold[65]
Spain Gold[52]
Switzerland Platinum[66]
United Kingdom 3× Platinum[13]

Release history [edit]

Country Date Label Edition
United Kingdom 20 October 2003[67] Island Records Standard
Canada 8 June 2004[68] Universal Music
Germany 20 September 2004[69]
Australia 8 March 2007[70]
United States 20 November 2007[71] Universal Republic Records
Japan 5 December 2007[72] Universal Music
Germany 9 May 2008[73] Deluxe
United Kingdom 12 May 2008[74] Island Records
Australia 17 May 2008[75] Universal Music
Canada 27 May 2008[76]
United States 3 June 2008[77] Universal Republic Records
Japan 2 July 2008[78] Universal Music

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Bush, John. Review: Frank. Allmusic. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  2. ^ a b Willman, Chris. Review: Frank. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b Lindon, Beccy. Review: Frank. The Guardian. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  4. ^ a b Chinen, Nate. Review: Frank. The New York Times. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  5. ^ a b c Wolk, Douglas. Review: Frank. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  6. ^ a b Joseph, Mike. Review: Frank. PopMatters. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  7. ^ a b Wolk, Douglas. Review: Frank. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  8. ^ a b Cairns, Dan. Review: Frank. The Times. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  9. ^ a b Gardner, Elysa. Review: Frank. USA Today. Archived on 31 June 2010.
  10. ^ a b Friskics-Warren, Bill. Review: Frank. The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  11. ^ a b Murphy, John. Review: Frank. MusicOMH. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  12. ^ a b Remi, Salaam (2011). Lioness: Hidden Treasures (CD liner notes). Island Records. "I had this amazing track, 'Half Time', that we had worked on during the Frank sessions. In fact she mentions Frank Sinatra in the song, and although it never made the album, was actually one of the reasons why she named her debut album Frank."
  13. ^ a b "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2009. 
  14. ^ a b hmv.com: albums: Frank: Deluxe Edition: 2cd (2008)
  15. ^ RIANZ
  16. ^ a b Frank (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  17. ^ Hope, Clover G. (1 December 2007), "Frank". Billboard. 119 (48):65
  18. ^ Rabin, Nathan. Review: Frank. The A.V. Club. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  19. ^ Walton, Matt. Review: Frank. BBC Collective. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  20. ^ a b Farber, Jim. Review: Frank. New York Daily News. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  21. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Amy Winehouse". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06. 
  22. ^ Boraman, Greg. Review: Frank. BBC Online. Retrieved 31 June 2010.
  23. ^ Ferdinand win Mercury Music Prize BBC. Retrieved 7 November 2007
  24. ^ Trust, Gary (23 July 2011). "Amy Winehouse's Billboard U.S. Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 July 2011. 
  25. ^ Jones, Alan (12 December 2011). "Official Album Chart Analysis: Sales hit new 2011 high". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 12 December 2011.  (subscription required)
  26. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  27. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  28. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  29. ^ "Top 100 Albums in Canada". Nielsen SoundScan. Canoe.ca. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  30. ^ "Top Kombiniranih – Tjedan 30. 2011." (in Croatian). Hrvatska Diskografska Udruga. Retrieved 27 January 2012. 
  31. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". IFPI Denmark. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  32. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  33. ^ "European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 26th May 2008". Billboard. Pandora Archive. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  34. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  35. ^ "Winehouse,Amy | Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  36. ^ "Top-75 Albums Sales Chart" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011. 
  37. ^ "Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez- lista – 2011. 32. hét" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 19 August 2011. 
  38. ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 28 July 2011". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. Retrieved 30 July 2011. 
  39. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  40. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  41. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  42. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży". OLiS. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. 
  43. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  44. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Productores de Música de España. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  45. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Media Control. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  46. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Frank". Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. Retrieved 13 August 2011. 
  47. ^ "Amy Winehouse Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 30 July 2011. 
  48. ^ "Amy Winehouse Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 30 July 2011. 
  49. ^ "Jahreshitparade 2008" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  50. ^ "Classement Albums – année 2008" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  51. ^ "VIVA Album Jahrescharts 2008" (in German). Media Control. VIVA. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  52. ^ a b "Top 50 Albumes 2008" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 28 June 2011. 
  53. ^ "Jahreshitparade 2011" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 January 2012. 
  54. ^ "Classifiche annuali Fimi-GfK: Vasco Rossi con "Vivere o Niente" e' stato l'album piu' venduto nel 2011" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012. 
  55. ^ "Top 100 – annual chart – 2011". Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 January 2012. 
  56. ^ "ARIA Charts ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 September 2011. 
  57. ^ "Gold & Platin" (in German). IFPI Austria. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  58. ^ "Gold and platinum certifications – Albums – 2008". Belgian Entertainment Association. Hung Medien. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  59. ^ "Certificados" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
  60. ^ "Guld og platin i maj" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  61. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2011". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 January 2012. 
  62. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Amy Winehouse; 'Frank')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 14 May 2009. 
  63. ^ "ARTISTI – Dalla settimana 1 del 2009 alla settimana 48 del 2011" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 13 December 2011. 
  64. ^ "Gold certification awards". Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  65. ^ "Galardões 2008" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  66. ^ "Awards 2008". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2009. 
  67. ^ "Amy Winehouse: Frank". HMV. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  68. ^ "FRANK/ EXPLICIT by AMY WINEHOUSE". HMV Canada. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  69. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Diskografie – Frank" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  70. ^ "Amy Winehouse Store – Frank". Getmusic. Universal Music Australia. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  71. ^ "Frank: Amy Winehouse". Amazon.com. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  72. ^ "フランク" [Frank] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  73. ^ "Amy Winehouse – Diskografie – Amy und Frank" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  74. ^ "Frank (Deluxe Edition): Amy Winehouse". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  75. ^ "Amy Winehouse Store – Frank (Deluxe Edition INT SJB)". Getmusic. Universal Music Australia. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  76. ^ "FRANK/ DELUXE EDITION : 2CD by AMY WINEHOUSE". HMV Canada. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  77. ^ "Frank [Deluxe Edition]: Amy Winehouse". Amazon.com. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  78. ^ "フランク～デラックス・エディション" [Frank Deluxe Edition] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 

External links [edit]

Amy Winehouse
Frank
Back to Black
Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Featured singles
Video releases
Related articles
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