H 29°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°On the extended
Amy Winehouse's appeal is half talent, half personality. With her signature heavy eye makeup, ratty beehive and sultry, husky croon, she has created a persona that simply exudes cool. Twenty-four-year-old Winehouse became a tabloid headliner following the success of her 2006 album Back to Black, and it seems the media never fails to capture the diva's drunken escapades, sloppy live performances and bloody squabbles with husband Blake Civil-Fielder. Though Winehouse's constant mishaps solidify her reputation as one of music's most melodramatic and volatile personalities, they have yet to detract from her talent; her powerful and unique vocal ability shines on Frank.
The album opens with a short scat intro followed by Winehouse's first single, "Stronger Than Me." On the piano-driven tune "You Sent Me Flying," she casually admits, "I'm just not that into you," proving that she is an independent woman.
"Pumps" is a party theme that criticizes the ambition of being a "footballer's wife" and the ambiguity of one-night stands. The majority of the songs on the album were written and produced by Winehouse herself, and her lyrics are revealing and personal, as she creates vivid — if sometimes crude — imagery.
Unfortunately, Frank falls short with its slew of soporific love songs such as "I Heard Love Is Blind," and "(There Is) No Greater Love." Winehouse's talent lies in her vocal strength; unfortunately, these uninteresting songs contrast too much with her strong personality. The heavier hip-hop songs, though, are the better ones on the album, and this inconsistency is Frank's biggest weakness.
However, Winehouse delivers the attitude on "In My Bed," a heavier song on which she performs an echoing, virtuosic scat over a saxophone solo. The sound trembles and cracks, adding to the album's retro vibe.
On "What Is It About Men," perhaps the heaviest song on the album, Winehouse laments, "My destructive side has grown a mile wide." "Help Yourself" features lighter percussion and acoustic guitar.
Several jazz songs, including "Moody's Mood For Love" and "Know You Now," were added to the original version of the album. The best of these additions is the album's final track, "Mr. Magic (Through The Smoke)," yet another nod to Winehouse's drug-induced lifestyle, on which she admits to being "blue without [her] green." The hip-hop song's dissonant, scattered guitar chords give it a psychedelic feel.
Frank fails to deliver the hit quality and consistency of Back to Black, but it's nonetheless a solid debut album, and we already know that Winehouse has far outdone herself. However, the album's redeeming quality is this tiny, tatooed songstress's enormous and unmistakable voice. Every song on Frank proves her strength and talent as a female vocalist and songwriter. Winehouse may very well end up in rehab, but the girl can really sing.
3.5 out of 5 stars
IP hash: ca4e95f9
I hate the word juxtaposition