Frank (Amy Winehouse album)
Encyclopedia
Frank is the debut studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse
, released 20 October 2003 on Island Records
. Production for the album took place during 2002 to 2003 and was handled by Winehouse, Salaam Remi
, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth
and Matt Rowe. Its title alludes to the nature and tone of Winehouse's lyrics on the album.
Upon its release, Frank received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Winehouse several accolades, including an Ivor Novello Award. Since its original release in the United Kingdom, the album has been reissued in Canada, the United States and Australia. On 18 December 2008, it was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
, denoting shipments in excess of 900,000 copies in the UK.
in October 2003 in the United Kingdom, and in the United States on 20 November 2007. The album spawned the singles "Stronger Than Me
", "Take the Box
", "In My Bed
"/"You Sent Me Flying
" and "Fuck Me Pumps
"/"Help Yourself
". The album was reissued in a deluxe edition in the UK on 12 May 2008. This edition includes an eighteen-track bonus disc including rare tracks, remixes, B-sides and live performances. In New Zealand, with the album re-released as a deluxe edition, it debuted at number twenty-six on the week starting 19 May 2008, nearly five years after it was originally released.
, which assigns a normalised
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 78, based on 11 reviews, which indicates generally favourable reviews. Billboard called the album "stellar" and Winehouse's vocals "wobblier than now, yet still astounding." Allmusic writer John Bush gave it 4 out of 5 stars and called Winehouse "an excellent vocalist possessing both power and subtlety". Nate Chinen of The New York Times
lauded her original lyrics and described the album's musical style as "glossy admixture of breezy funk, dub and jazz-inflected soul". The A.V. Club
s Nathan Rabin commended its loose, organic songcraft and wrote that it "features languid, wide-open neo-soul grooves and jazzy vamping". BBC Collective writer Matt Walton called it "an honest, refreshingly personal record" and noted its music as "classic jazz crooning dirtied with her other influences – Ben Folds Five
, Stevie Wonder
and Miss Dynamite". New York Daily News
writer Jim Farber commended Winehouse's "brutal honesty" and wrote that it "shows none of the stumble of an artist's baby steps... a remarkably assured debut".
Beccy Lindon of The Guardian
described Winehouse's sound as "somewhere between Nina Simone
and Erykah Badu
... at once innocent and sleazy". Entertainment Weekly
s Chris Willman found its musical style reminiscent of Sade
. MusicOMH
's John Murphy compared Winehouse's vocals to those of Macy Gray
and Erykah Badu, while noting her lyrics as "commendably feisty and, as the album title suggests, frank". BBC Online writer Greg Boraman commented on her influences, stating "Amy's influences (Vaughan
, Dinah Washington
and the more contemporary like Badu et al) are obvious but not over powering and Winehouse has enough attitude, talent and chutzpah to make any comparisons fleeting and pointless". Dan Cairns of The Times
commended its "hybrid" sound and called the album "a staggeringly assured, sit-up-and-listen debut, both commercial and eclectic, accessible and uncompromising". The album was nominated for two BRIT Awards
and was short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize. It earned Winehouse an Ivor Novello Award. The album was included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
, edited by Robert Dimery.
In retrospective reviews for both Pitchfork Media
and Rolling Stone
, critic Douglas Wolk
expressed a mixed response towards Winehouse's themes and connected them to her public image at the time, writing in the former review, "in the light of her subsequent career, Frank comes off as the first chapter in the Romantic myth of the poet who feels too deeply and ends up killing herself for her audience's entertainment". Adversely, PopMatters
writer Mike Joseph stated in his review of its re-release, "What Frank winds up reinforcing is the fact that Winehouse’s success... is based on pure talent rather than good producers or gimmicks". The Washington Post
s Bill Friskics-Warren noted most of its content as "sultry ballads and shambling neo-soul jams", while writing that it "more than confirms what the fuss over Winehouse – then just 19 and with a lot fewer tattoos – was originally all about... her attitude and command were already there. And then some". Elysa Gardner of USA Today
wrote "The re-release actually shows more range, wit and distinction than Black
did... Winehouse fuses her influences with such breezy authority that the songs never sound flagrantly derivative or stale".
at number sixty before climbing to number thirteen in January 2004. It has since been certified double platinum for shipments in excess of 600,000 copies. During the chart run of Winehouse's second album, 2006's Back to Black
, Frank re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number twenty-two in February 2007, as well as at number forty on two separate occasions in May 2007, becoming a mainstay of the UK chart throughout 2007. As of November 2007 it had sold a total of 495,891 copies in the UK. As of mid-March 2008, it had sold 675,000 copies in the UK, and had sold 362,700 since February 2007, making it the thirty-seventh best-selling album for 2007, despite its original release four years earlier. It sold a further 228,000 copies in 2008, five years after its release. The album sold approximately 22,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States. Following the 2008 Grammy Awards
, the album re-entered the Billboard 200
chart and climbed to number sixty-seven. It has sold a total of 307,000 copies in the United States. Frank re-entered the US chart and reached a new peak position of number thirty-three, following Winehouse's death on 23 July 2011. The album also re-entered the UK chart at number five on 31 July 2011. It then rose two positions to number three the following week on 7 August, becoming the album's highest-charting position in the UK.
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, released 20 October 2003 on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Production for the album took place during 2002 to 2003 and was handled by Winehouse, Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth
Jimmy Hogarth
Jimmy Hogarth is a London-based producer and songwriter, whose production and writing credits include Amy Winehouse, Sia, Paolo Nutini, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Estelle, Tina Turner, KT Tunstall, James Blunt and James Morrison....
and Matt Rowe. Its title alludes to the nature and tone of Winehouse's lyrics on the album.
Upon its release, Frank received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Winehouse several accolades, including an Ivor Novello Award. Since its original release in the United Kingdom, the album has been reissued in Canada, the United States and Australia. On 18 December 2008, it was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, denoting shipments in excess of 900,000 copies in the UK.
Release and promotion
The album was released by Island RecordsIsland Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in October 2003 in the United Kingdom, and in the United States on 20 November 2007. The album spawned the singles "Stronger Than Me
Stronger Than Me
"Stronger Than Me" is a song by English singer–songwriter Amy Winehouse from her debut album, Frank . Written by Winehouse and Salaam Remi and released in the United Kingdom as the album's lead single on 6 October 2003, it ended up as the lowest-charting single from Frank and of Winehouse's career,...
", "Take the Box
Take the Box
"Take the Box" is a soul song written and produced by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse and Luke Smith for her debut album, Frank . Released as the album's second single on 12 January 2004, it was the highest-charting single from Frank, peaking at number fifty-seven on the UK Singles Chart...
", "In My Bed
In My Bed (Amy Winehouse song)
"In My Bed" is a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse from her debut album, Frank . It was released on 5 April 2004 as the album's third single , reaching number sixty on the UK Singles Chart....
"/"You Sent Me Flying
You Sent Me Flying
"You Sent Me Flying" is a song by English singer–songwriter Amy Winehouse from her debut album, Frank . Written by Winehouse and Felix Howard, the song was released in the United Kingdom as a double A-side single with "In My Bed" on 5 April 2004, reaching number sixty on the UK Singles Chart.-Music...
" and "Fuck Me Pumps
Fuck Me Pumps
"Fuck Me Pumps" is a song by English singer–songwriter Amy Winehouse from her debut album, Frank . Written by Winehouse and Salaam Remi, the song was released in the United Kingdom as the album's fourth and final single on 23 August 2004 under the title "Pumps"—with "Help Yourself" as its coupling...
"/"Help Yourself
Help Yourself (Amy Winehouse song)
"Help Yourself" is an R&B–jazz song written by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse and Jimmy Hogarth for Winehouse's debut album, Frank . Released as the album's fourth and final single on 23 August 2004 as a double A-side with "Fuck Me Pumps" , it reached number sixty-five on the UK Singles...
". The album was reissued in a deluxe edition in the UK on 12 May 2008. This edition includes an eighteen-track bonus disc including rare tracks, remixes, B-sides and live performances. In New Zealand, with the album re-released as a deluxe edition, it debuted at number twenty-six on the week starting 19 May 2008, nearly five years after it was originally released.
Critical reception
Frank received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalised
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 78, based on 11 reviews, which indicates generally favourable reviews. Billboard called the album "stellar" and Winehouse's vocals "wobblier than now, yet still astounding." Allmusic writer John Bush gave it 4 out of 5 stars and called Winehouse "an excellent vocalist possessing both power and subtlety". Nate Chinen of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
lauded her original lyrics and described the album's musical style as "glossy admixture of breezy funk, dub and jazz-inflected soul". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Nathan Rabin commended its loose, organic songcraft and wrote that it "features languid, wide-open neo-soul grooves and jazzy vamping". BBC Collective writer Matt Walton called it "an honest, refreshingly personal record" and noted its music as "classic jazz crooning dirtied with her other influences – Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds , Robert Sledge , and Darren Jessee . The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and Miss Dynamite". New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
writer Jim Farber commended Winehouse's "brutal honesty" and wrote that it "shows none of the stumble of an artist's baby steps... a remarkably assured debut".
Beccy Lindon of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described Winehouse's sound as "somewhere between Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
and Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
... at once innocent and sleazy". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Chris Willman found its musical style reminiscent of Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
. MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
's John Murphy compared Winehouse's vocals to those of Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
and Erykah Badu, while noting her lyrics as "commendably feisty and, as the album title suggests, frank". BBC Online writer Greg Boraman commented on her influences, stating "Amy's influences (Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and the more contemporary like Badu et al) are obvious but not over powering and Winehouse has enough attitude, talent and chutzpah to make any comparisons fleeting and pointless". Dan Cairns of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
commended its "hybrid" sound and called the album "a staggeringly assured, sit-up-and-listen debut, both commercial and eclectic, accessible and uncompromising". The album was nominated for two BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
and was short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize. It earned Winehouse an Ivor Novello Award. The album was included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
, edited by Robert Dimery.
In retrospective reviews for both Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, critic Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Nation, The New Republic, Salon.com, Pitchfork Media, and The Believer...
expressed a mixed response towards Winehouse's themes and connected them to her public image at the time, writing in the former review, "in the light of her subsequent career, Frank comes off as the first chapter in the Romantic myth of the poet who feels too deeply and ends up killing herself for her audience's entertainment". Adversely, PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
writer Mike Joseph stated in his review of its re-release, "What Frank winds up reinforcing is the fact that Winehouse’s success... is based on pure talent rather than good producers or gimmicks". The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Bill Friskics-Warren noted most of its content as "sultry ballads and shambling neo-soul jams", while writing that it "more than confirms what the fuss over Winehouse – then just 19 and with a lot fewer tattoos – was originally all about... her attitude and command were already there. And then some". Elysa Gardner of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
wrote "The re-release actually shows more range, wit and distinction than Black
Back to Black
Back to Black is the second studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music styles and modern R&B production, with subjective lyrics that concern...
did... Winehouse fuses her influences with such breezy authority that the songs never sound flagrantly derivative or stale".
Commercial performance
The album entered the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number sixty before climbing to number thirteen in January 2004. It has since been certified double platinum for shipments in excess of 600,000 copies. During the chart run of Winehouse's second album, 2006's Back to Black
Back to Black
Back to Black is the second studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music styles and modern R&B production, with subjective lyrics that concern...
, Frank re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number twenty-two in February 2007, as well as at number forty on two separate occasions in May 2007, becoming a mainstay of the UK chart throughout 2007. As of November 2007 it had sold a total of 495,891 copies in the UK. As of mid-March 2008, it had sold 675,000 copies in the UK, and had sold 362,700 since February 2007, making it the thirty-seventh best-selling album for 2007, despite its original release four years earlier. It sold a further 228,000 copies in 2008, five years after its release. The album sold approximately 22,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States. Following the 2008 Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
, the album re-entered the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart and climbed to number sixty-seven. It has sold a total of 307,000 copies in the United States. Frank re-entered the US chart and reached a new peak position of number thirty-three, following Winehouse's death on 23 July 2011. The album also re-entered the UK chart at number five on 31 July 2011. It then rose two positions to number three the following week on 7 August, becoming the album's highest-charting position in the UK.
Track listing
Personnel
- Amy Winehouse – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - 21st Century Jazz – accompanimentAccompanimentIn music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner...
- John Adams – organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, RhodesRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS.... - Robert Aaron – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Teodross AveryTeodross AveryTeodross Avery is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, who has released albums for the record labels GRP Records and Impulse! Records.-References:...
– saxophone - Ian Barter – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Rudy Bird – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, shaker - Houston "House" Bowen – assistant engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Ben Bryant – assistant engineer
- Errol Campbell – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Wilburn "Squiddley" Cole – drums
- Commissioner Gordon – drums, effectsSound effectFor the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
, engineer, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, percussion, producer, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, turntablesTurntablismTurntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer... - Delroy "Chris" Cooper – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tom Coyne – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Cameron Craig – mixing
- Tanya Darby – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Tom ElmhirstTom ElmhirstTom Elmhirst is a British specialist music producer and mix engineer. He began his career at SARM studios in the early 90s at a time when digital audio was already becoming mainstream. Elmhirst’s experiences at SARM and with Trevor Horn have clearly influenced his current working methods...
– mixing - Jeni Fujita – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Nick Godwyn – managementTalent managerA talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
- Vincent Henry – alto fluteAlto fluteThe alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range...
, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, flute, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Jimmy HogarthJimmy HogarthJimmy Hogarth is a London-based producer and songwriter, whose production and writing credits include Amy Winehouse, Sia, Paolo Nutini, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Estelle, Tina Turner, KT Tunstall, James Blunt and James Morrison....
– bass, drums, guitar, mixing, percussion, producer, programming - Felix Howard – backing vocals
- Stafford Hunter – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Timothy Hutton – hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Donovan Jackson – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, organ, Rhodes - Gregory Jackson – bass
- Kate Lower – coordinator
- Michael Nash Associates – cover designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
- Charles Moriarty – cover photography
- Gary "Mon" Noble – engineer, mixing
- Steve "Esp" Nowa – assistant engineer
- Valerie PhillipsValerie PhillipsValerie Phillips is a New York born fashion photographer, based in London.-Biography:Valerie's biggest influences remain the things she loved as a kid: outer space, gymnastics, skateboarding and the paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti....
– photography - John Piretti – assistant engineer
- Bruce Purse – baritone hornBaritone hornThe baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
, bass trumpetBass trumpetThe bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B today, but is sometimes built in E and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixth or a ninth lower than written, depending on the...
, flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, trumpet - Salaam RemiSalaam RemiSalaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
– arrangerArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, drums, electric bass, electric upright bassElectric upright bassThe electric upright bass is an electronically amplified version of the double bass that has a minimal or 'skeleton' body, which greatly reduces the size and weight of the instrument. The EUB retains enough of the features of the double bass so that double bass players are comfortable performing...
, mixing, organ, percussion, producer - Jony Rockstar – additional producer
- Matt Rowe – backing vocals, producer, trumpet
- Jeremy Shaw – guitar
- Nick Shymansky – A&R
- Stefan Skarbek – backing vocals, trumpet
- Martin SlatteryMartin SlatteryMartin Slattery is a British multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of Joe Strummer's backing band The Mescaleros. He played there amongst others electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, saxophone, and flute. He is currently in the band The Hours alongside Antony Genn.- References :...
– Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, horn, WurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes.... - Earl "Chinna" Smith – guitar
- Luke Smith – bass, keyboards, piano
- Lenny Underwood – keyboards, piano
- Richard Wilkinson – additional drums
- Brent Williams – mixing assistant
- Troy Wilson – drums
Weekly charts
| Chart (2004–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
23 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 5 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
35 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
23 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
16 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
7 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
13 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
9 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
9 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
11 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
30 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
15 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
7 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 20 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
22 |
| Polish Albums Chart Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
5 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
10 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
16 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
33 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
26 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Gold |
| Austria | Gold |
| Belgium Belgian Entertainment Association The Belgian Entertainment Association is the organization that represents the interests of the music, video and video game industries in Belgium... |
Gold |
| Brazil Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
Gold |
| Denmark IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
Gold |
| Europe | Platinum |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Platinum |
| Poland Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry is the organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry... |
Gold |
| Portugal Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
Gold |
| Spain | Gold |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
3× Platinum |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 27 |
| French Albums Chart | 48 |
| German Albums Chart | 37 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 35 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 20 October 2003 | Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
Standard |
| Canada | 8 June 2004 | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
|
| Germany | 20 September 2004 | ||
| Australia | 10 March 2007 | ||
| United States | 20 November 2007 | Universal Republic Records | |
| Japan | 5 December 2007 | Universal Music | |
| Germany | 9 May 2008 | Deluxe | |
| United Kingdom | 12 May 2008 | Island Records | |
| Australia | 17 May 2008 | Universal Music | |
| Canada | 27 May 2008 | ||
| United States | 3 June 2008 | Universal Republic Records | |
| Japan | 2 July 2008 | Universal Music |
External links
- Frank at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Frank at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Charmed and Dangerous at The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
- A B&S Classic Interview Before 'Rehab' at Blues & SoulBlues & SoulBlues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....