Remember when Amy Winehouse was curvy? How about when she didn’t have tattoos or a rumored drug addict for a husband? Yeah, me neither, but apparently “”Wino”” was a different person in 2003.

Frank, the singer’s first release, caught the U.K. by surprise with its hip-hop and R&B influences, and garnered Winehouse a nomination for the U.K.’s Mercury Prize. The album finally dropped stateside yesterday, and gives Americans a glimpse into what she was like before she became queen of the tabloids.

“”Stronger Than Me”” kicks off Frank in a lackluster manner – Winehouse scats out an intro to the song, which proves to be awkward with the soul influence the track conjures up. “”You Sent Me Flying”” redeems the singer and showcases her vocals that surprisingly aren’t garbled like most listeners might be accustomed to. Lyrics like “”And although my pride is not easily disturbed/ You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb/ With your battered jeans and your Beasties tee/ Now I can’t work like this with you next to me”” surprisingly are complimented nicely by the strong piano and light background drumming.

“”Fuck Me Pumps”” is arguably the most popular song on the album, for good reason. Even though the track might not be vocally challenging or compositionally complex, truth reigns behind the lyrics, making them relatable to many female listeners: “”In the morning you’re vexed/ He’s onto the next/ And you didn’t even get no taste.””

The lyrical nonsense of “”October Song,”” a track thoroughly influenced by jazz singer Sarah Vaughn (she’s even namedropped in the song) flops and is a bore with Winehouse’s smooth lyrics and vocals, which sadly lack any crescendos or diminuendos.

Winehouse pulls it together in the end with “”Amy, Amy, Amy,”” a sexy romp through the singer’s struggle to abstain from her attraction to males. The song manages to update a jazz sound with horns by the addition of tribal drum beats.

It’s understandable that the British enjoyed Frank – the album came out at a time when Joss Stone was taking over the country’s music charts with her songs that reeked of soul. Although it is interesting to listen to Frank and hear how Winehouse has evolved as an artist, it’s pointless to buy the album unless you just want to ruminate over times when she was decent looking, a good girl and a so-so musician.