Frank [Explicit Lyrics]

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.

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.

Frank is a wonderful debut album. It is a jazz album with edge both musically and lyrically: a welcome and much needed reminder that jazz does not need to be bland, it is fantastic on every level.

The music is primarily soul inflected jazz but also drawing on a host of other influences including funk and even blues. The musical arrangements are quite simple and sparse but atmospheric and effective. Amy Winehouse has a strong, husky voice which brings the songs to life and is able to convey feeling and strong emotion.

The songs chart the course of a failed relationship with a few other barbs thrown in for good measure. The lyrics, mainly written by Amy Winehouse herself, are personal, scabrous and occasionally very funny. The material has a refreshing emotional honesty spiced with arrogance, bile and spite but, fortunately, lacking in sentimentality or self-pity. The album is packed with great songs including the excellent 'Stronger than me' is a lament about the weakness of her over educated new man boyfriend; 'I Heard Love Is Blind' a confession/justification for her infidelity ('he looked liked you', 'I was thinking of you', 'it couldn't tell, it was dark and I was lying down'), 'F**k me Pumps', an attack on shallow party girls ('At least your breasts cost more than hers') amongst others.

Amy Winehouse has gained some notoriety through some entertaining, if loud mouthed, TV appearances (most notably on Never Mind the Buzzcocks) and some negative press coverage for her unladylike behaviour. She may not be the most appealing person in the world and clearly being her boyfriend carries some risks (unless you like being pilloried in song). However, this does not change the fact that she is a fantastic singer/songwriter. She is often bracketed with the other 'new' British Jazz 'sensations': Joss Stone, Katie Melua & Jamie Cullum. I guess that this is because they are all relatively recent arrivals on the music scene and they have all been labelled jazz singers. This is not a particularly sensible or useful classification - Amy Winehouse has passion and edge - this is a much more interesting album than anything the other three have produced (or are likely to produce).

Amy Winehouse apparently believes that no men bought her album. Sorry to disappoint her but at least one did and he loves it.