Frank - Amy Winehouse

...after listening to her album, Frank (which is aptly named) I was uplifted and inspired. Amy hits you with not only a unique musical style, but with a hard-hitting attitude, which is rather shocking. However this again gives Amy an edge that most artists don’t have, it is clear that Amy speaks her mind and all her morals and values are spilled out into her music. As Winehouse’s music is not commercial she has not had major chart success ...
...The introduction to the album, Frank instantly gives you a taster for what is it come. It includes Amy ad-libbing is a very classical Jazz way, however the music is not classic jazz. It is a mix of R’n’B with slight modern Jazz guitar. In my opinion this is Amy’s way of showing everyone who wants to listen her unique style and various musical influences. The introduction then emerges to the first track and first single; “Stronger ... more

For me the young songstress Amy Winehouse is a prolific performer. The atmosphere which fills out any room when she performs, or even when you play her CD is astounding. Amy Winehouse is a 19 year old who hails from North London, who writes most of her music on guitar. Not only is Amy’s voice reminiscent of a classic 40’s Jazz singer, she incorporates, Jazz, Hip Hop and R’n’B into each song, but instead of following the norm, Amy adds her own unique stamp to each track. For me the fact that music throughout the decades had influenced a young female (who could be twice her age) is amazing, when listening to her raw voice, it sounds like all her troubles in life have emerged through music. When listening to Winehouse’s debut album, Frank, it is not hard to notice the musical influences who of which she has been brought up on. Sarah Vaughn and Diana Washington amazed Amy at the tender age of 13, when she discovered her love for the guitar. However don’t be fooled by her gentle and innocent classic Jazz childhood; Amy attended the Sylvia Young stage school and she was expelled for not applying herself and wearing a nose stud, however the fact that Amy was going through a “Hendrix” stage, could have been the cause of the problems. Amy detested school and this was when the composition started, she would sit in her bedroom for hours working out new chords for latest song. Instead of going to class she would sit alone with a piano and guitar in front of her. From the outset it was clear Amy did what Amy wanted to do. No one was going to stop her and this does flow on through her music. Amy didn’t want the classic musical theatre training, which is innocent and almost too perfect. It is clear from her lyrics on the debut album Amy is far from a perfect female living a lie. The hard-hitting songs include true emotions and situations of a young girl living in the 21st century; Moschino bras, high heels, breast implants and various sexual situations.

It was at 16 that Amy really began to take an interest in Jazz, she would study the history and push her voice to sound like the Jazz greats. She even became part of the youth Jazz orchestra. However at the same time her flat mate listened to R’n’B and Hip Hop greats, such as Jodeci and Mos Def. This was when Amy’s unique style was subconsciously developing, the soft Jazz, hard hitting lyrics from Mos Def, the smooth style of Jodeci, and Amy’s incredibly strong attitude were netting together. Amy’s name became known around the musical circles, and she eventually was signed to a management company who introduced her to the urban record label Island Records, and the rest they say is history.

The first I heard of Winehouse it was on Later with Jools Holland. As soon as I heard the beat and velvetiness of the chord changes I was drawn to Amy. I was surprised to see a young, Caucasian female, with immense authority and stage presence filling the studio with a unique sound. After hearing the debut single “Stronger than me” I had to hear and find out more about Amy and after listening to her album, Frank (which is aptly named) I was uplifted and inspired. Amy hits you with not only a unique musical style, but with a hard-hitting attitude, which is rather shocking. However this again gives Amy an edge that most artists don’t have, it is clear that Amy speaks her mind and all her morals and values are spilled out into her music. As Winehouse’s music is not commercial she has not had major chart success however she is currently supporting another new young male Jazz artist Jamie Cullum on his tour.

The introduction to the album, Frank instantly gives you a taster for what is it come. It includes Amy ad-libbing is a very classical Jazz way, however the music is not classic jazz. It is a mix of R’n’B with slight modern Jazz guitar. In my opinion this is Amy’s way of showing everyone who wants to listen her unique style and various musical influences. The introduction then emerges to the first track and first single; “Stronger Than Me”. The track starts off with a hard beat, then the amazingly smooth chord changes emerge and turn the song from almost a Hip Hop track into an RnB track. “Stronger than me” is probably the most commercial song from the album, as the Jazz influences are not so noticeable. When I first heard Amy’s voice on this track I was blown away, it was a mix of the American Jazz/hip hop singer Erykah Badu and the ex-fugee singer Lauryn Hill. The lyrics on Stronger than me, prove straight away Amy’s determination. The song explains how Amy wants a man to be stronger than her in a relationship. “All I want is for my man to live up to his role” “I don’t want to meet your mother any time I just wanna rip your body over mine” Overall Stronger than me, should have been more commercially successful than it was as it is great modern track which really grows on you. However the fact that Amy’s music has never received much airplay could have been the downfall to the success of this song.

“You sent me flying”, really does show off Amy’s raw vocal skills. It starts off as a soft, smooth track, where Amy explains how devastated she was when her boyfriend “kicked her to the curb” The piano and guitar really are smooth and harmonised on this song. As the track progresses a smooth beat is introduced, which dramatically transforms the song from being a slow and smooth ballad into a what I would call a classic R’n’B ballad, which is filled with a hard beat. This track is rather refreshing as most of the emphasis is on the vocals and not just the tempo of the track. This song gives you a real blast of Amy at her best, singing emotive Jazz.

Amy is a keen and very talented guitar player and the hidden track “Cherry” really expresses her feelings about her guitar, in a rather comical way! I really like Amy’s vocals on this song she really hits some fantastic high notes, which merge with the fantastic chords of the guitar. “Cherry” is a mid tempo song, with almost a reggae style beat, but the guitar chords and vocals scream out Jazz. Amy explains how close he becomes to “Cherry” and how “she plays along as I sing out my blues” This track really makes you sway along to the beat and when you close your eyes you can really hear the fantastic mixture of piano and guitar.

“Know you now” is slightly more up tempo than the predecessor, and it includes a very catchy hook. The harmonised backing vocals really stand out on this track, and give it a very classical Jazz feel to it. The backing vocals also do remind me of a typical Lauryn Hill track. The musical accompaniment to this track is rather amazing, it features Amy on guitar, piano and flute. This is a really relaxing track, which makes you feel really uplifted.

When I first heard the next track on the album “F***k me pumps” it gave me a very raw but realistic image. Amy explains how some females look for love in the wrong way, wearing tight revealing clothes and have many one-night stands. “Your looking for a man, but all you end up with is one-night stands” It also makes fun of most of material possessions people cant live without, like designer clothes and maybe more shocking breast implants! “You cant sit down right, ‘cos your jeans are too tight” Although the lyrics may be seen as shocking and comical they do portray an important message; to respect yourself. The track starts of with the classical jazz type organ, and then a hip-hop beat enters. I really do like this track as the vocal arrangement is really catchy. Again like you sent me flying, most of the emphasis is on the lyrics, these are highlighted by harmony and layered vocals.

“Love Is Blind” is probably one of the most Jazz influenced tracks on the album. The smooth chord changes feature highly and the strumming is really affective against the saxophone. It is noticeable that this track is very “jazz” influenced, as there is no real beat to it, just a soft shaking in the background. The lyrics of this track again play a very important part. Amy explains how she spent a night with a man, but doesn’t feel that it is cheating as “I was thinking of you as I came” Again this track is really relaxing and has a calming edge to it, if you try not to focus on the lyrics too much!

“Moody’s Mood For Love”, really mixes Jazz vocals with a reggae beat. It is a really refreshing track, Amy’s vocals are unusual as they are fast and she really shows off her raw voice, she almost sings with a Caribbean accent. The beat really makes you move along, and it is great alongside a soft saxophone in the background a fantastic feature from the Wurlitzer organ.

When you listen to “There is no greater love”, you could be listening to an old Jazz record. Amy’s vocals are as typically Jazz as you will ever hear them, soft and emotive. The saxophone and soft piano play an important part in making this song a typical Jazz track. The track is slow and incredibly emotive, it is this track, although it is relevantly short, that puts Amy on the map amongst the Jazz greats.

When the album moves onto the next track “In My Bed”, you shoot straight back into the 21st century. The track has a hard hip hop beat, and reminds me of a track that Lauryn Hill or Angie Stone would perform. The chorus is very catchy and this would make it a very commercial track. The vocals are fantastic, harmonised and very strong. Although it is a modern style song, you can still hear the influences of classic Jazz, such as the organ and even saxophone. Even some of the vocals seem like they have moved from a classic Jazz record onto this modern track. This track really shows off how versatile Amy is to produce a track filled with so many different influences. “In My Bed”, is definitely a very strong track on the album, which is why I am surprised it was not released as a single. Not only is the music on the song fantastic the lyrics again are very important. Amy speaks of how her boyfriend only wants her in her bed.

“Take the box” slows the tempo down and shows Amy as the strong young female that she is, Amy takes us on a emotional journey and explains how much her boyfriend has changed from how he originally was, and asks him to put all the presents he gave her in the box “The Moschino bra, you brought me last Christmas” I really enjoy listening to this song as although it is slow, it has a great beat to it, and Amy’s voice is the most emotional you will hear on the album. The track starts off with a sorrowful piano and then as the song progresses Amy’s seductive backing vocals give the song a cool and refreshing edge. “Take the box” was the second release from the album, although it was not successful the track itself is amazingly strong. It is not as commercial as Stronger than me, however once you listen to it a few times, it really grows on you. “Take the box” is a definite strong point on the album.

After the slow and sorrowful “Take The Box”, “October song” bursts through your speakers. Again it is a definite modern rnb/hip hop track. The beat and bass of “October song” is very addictive, and will get you moving. I wouldn’t say this was a strong point on the album, but as you listen to the track more and more you begin to really appreciate Amy’s vocal style on this track.

“What is it about men?” Has the most amazing edge to it, it is cool, smooth but has that hard edge that only Amy can produce. It is a very modern RnB track, however the backing vocals and vocal arrangements give it a classic edge. It features a range of instruments that all co-ordinate together and compliment Amy’s vocals. Again this track reminds me of a track that an artist like Lauryn Hill would produce, it is a strong point on the album.

“Help Yourself” has to be one of my favourite tracks on the album, as Amy was performing it on Jools Holland when I first noticed her. I was amazed at how original sounding it was. It is a hard song to describe as it features so many features from the different urban genres. The beat to the song again is reminiscent of a reggae track and the organ is another feature of classic jazz. The chorus of “Help Yourself” is unusual as the beat totally stops and the organ, sax and fantastic layered harmonised vocals take the forefront. Although the song isn’t commercial, it has the qualities to be as it is very catchy and the fact that that it is very unusual with make it stand out. The lyrics of this track are also very “Amy”, They are hard hitting and show strength. Amy explains how she can’t help her man, if he doesn’t help her to. “Its were your at, not where you’ve been”

The last track “Amy, Amy, Amy”, reminds me of the show track, which has recently been covered by another English RnB group, Big Brovaz, “It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it” I cant fault this track it is actually verging on fantastic, it is the type of track that you would find playing is a Jazz café. The bass on the track is amazing and the long notes from the saxophone give it the most fantastic cool and calm sound. It is also interesting to hear a bassoon type instrument in the background, which again gives the track the classic Jazz edge. Amy’s vocals on this track are very similar to the Jazz great Ella Fitzgerald.

The outro to the album features a spoken part from a male “ Thank you for attending the Amy Winehouse show, please exit the building” Although it is comical, after listening to the whole album, you do feel like you have been to a live performance by Amy Winehouse!

The album booklet perceives Amy in a very unglamorous way, which is the way in my opinion that Amy wants to be seen. She is an ordinary young female who speaks her mind and allows her talent to shine through music. It is obvious that she is confident and doesn’t feel the need to be half naked on her album cover! Amy wants people to enjoy the music she produces and not be the pin up. The front cover of the album, features Amy in a pink jumper walking with her two dogs on leads. The background of the album cover is very dark, which means that Amy stands out. As you look through the booklet it features Amy in different “natural” poses, such as on the phone and playing pool. The album sleeve also features all the lyrics to the tracks and the track information. The back of the album box includes a picture of a pair of pink high-heeled shoes thrown on the floor in a street. This to me shows Amy’s attitude, she doesn’t need to wear high heels, or dress a certain way to be successful

I cannot fault the album, Frank by Amy Winehouse. It is definitely the best album I have purchased in a very long time. It is Amy’s emotive voice, strong willed attitude, hard hitting, down to earth lyrics that to me make her an amazing performer, who deserves more recognition that she receives. Frank will have a fantastic shelf life, and the uniqueness of it will allow the album to be played over and over again without it dating for many, many years to come. I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys the voice and style of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and even classic jazz artists. After listening to the album, I feel uplifted and enlightened, not many albums have that affect on me, it just shows Amy Winehouse’s talent through music.

“The best UK soul album this year” – Echoes
“One of the most impressive British debut in years” – Dazed and Confused

For more information visit
www.amywinehouse.com

 

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