Many people know of Amy Winehouse because of her 2007 hit songs: "Rehab" and   "Know I'm No Good" off the Back To Black LP but she actually debuted a few years earlier in 2003 with her first studio album Frank. The album was and is viewed as a amazing work of music and featured production by Salaam Remi (previously did production work with The Fugees, Nas, and Ms. Dynamite among others) and besides the two cover songs every other song had at least co-written lyrics by Winehouse herself.   The LP has elements of Jazz, Soul, Pop and R&B and is better than Back to Black in my humble opinion.

You will really enjoy all the songs for their independent, racy, introspective, raw and opinionated lyrics and the variety of music instrtuments and beats used but songs I like in particular are "Stronger Than Me", a song about a weak man,   "Pumps", a cut about groupies and club going ladies, "You Send Me Flying/Cherry", two song about love one for a man, another for her guitar and "Take The Box", a compelling track about leaving a loved one despite the love that was shared because of lying/cheating.

This is an great work of music and I, like many Americans, heard this after Back to Black and was still blown away so much that I don't really don't listen to Back to Black because it seems too down the beaten path! It's also sad that Amy is having so many problems with her life right now because she's a really special songwriter who doesn't censor her lyrics, which can be mostly great and probably carries over to her real life meter of right and wrong for her own well-being.

The album can be played all the way through if you are a fan of music and has a special bonus of "Mr. Magic" and "Brother" if you are patient at the end of the album. It's a album even older person can love because of it's history of music feel.

I'll give it 5 glowing GeoGlobes.