Amy Winehouse
Frank (Deluxe Edition)
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Review - Amy Winehouse
Reviewer: Kim Langcake
Rating:
Pictures of Amy Winehouse in ever-worsening states of dishevel have been the bread and butter of paparazzi and trash magazine editors for a couple of years now. Ask anyone you know what their opinion of Amy Winehouse is — chances are, they will be able to go into some detail about the drunken escapades, jailbird hubby, and tattoos. Now ask them to sing a couple of her songs (and the lyrics "no, no, no" are not permissible for this exercise). Perhaps the greatest casualty of Amy Winehouse's front-page tabloid behaviour — her poor liver notwithstanding — is the great disservice afforded her very real and, at times, sublime talent. Winehouse's five Grammy haul (for 2006 "Back in Black") at this year's awards was a triumphant and deserved recognition of that talent, but that hasn't stopped her name from continuing to appear on the "train wreck waiting to happen" lists those same magazines like to keep.
Coming on the back of the Grammys, the release of a new Super Deluxe Edition of Winehouse's first album "Frank" could be seen as a cynical way to milk a cash cow who may be out to pasture for awhile yet. Two years is a long time in the music industry, and without a new release on the horizon, the folk at Island Records must be getting a tad edgy. The good news is that this is a re-release well worth owning, even if the original is already in your record collection.
"Frank – Super Deluxe Edition" is packaged as a handsome two-disc boxed set, with the original album on one disc, and 17 previously unreleased tracks — including demos, live recordings, and a couple of b-sides ("Round Midnight" and the wonderful "Fool's Gold") — on the other.
The live recordings are absolute gems, and they all demonstrate the depth and flexibility of Winehouse's distinctive voice. We're so used to digitally-perfected recordings these days that hearing a track of a great vocalist doing her thing live is a rare treat, and the songs here do not disappoint. The best in an excellent bunch is "I Heard Love is Blind". It is a stunner, and the smoky, sad versatility Winehouse lends to the song will have you crying into your pretzels.
Whether she's vamping it up on "Teach Me Tonight" or cutting to the core with a poignant live version of "Stronger Than Me" (recorded on the Jools Holland Later show), Winehouse is showing an audience only familiar with "Rehab" that behind the tabloid fodder is a versatile and adventurous artist. For my money, the standout track on the second disc is the truly glorious cover of "Someone to Watch Over Me", with Winehouse making the Gershwin classic all her own. Close your eyes and you could be in another era.
Let's be honest: in all likelihood, "Frank – Super Deluxe Edition" is the offering of a record company desperate to tide over fans until their troubled star is together enough to release a new album. The unexpected result, however, is a collection of gems which should be part of any modern music lover's record library. Play it, share it, and hope for a time when conversations and headlines about Amy Winehouse are about her music and her talent.
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