Just Who Is Lily Allen?
Lily Allen has carved out a wonderful little niche for herself. Her thick British accent is similar to that of Lady Sovereign, but Allen always seems to take the cuter route. She’s got a sweet smile, big, deep eyes, and a talk show. She adopts an adorable, innocent persona while her words bite and scathe. Her first album, Alright, Still, featured a bevy of old-soul inspired pop tracks thanks to Mark Ronson. Her sophomore album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, takes a different route. Allen described her music as a necessary change of direction, and I agree. I always prefer an artist to broaden their horizons, and lead single, “The Fear,” is definitely that for Lily Allen. Entrenching her music in dizzy electronica, Allen scours her lyrical nails down celebrity culture with a few f-bombs and clever placements of celebrity gossip magazines (The Sun, and The Mirror). For clubgoers, “The Fear” has some excellent remixes thanks to Dresden & Johnston, the Wideboys, and Stonebridge. Definitely worth checking out.
Lily Has a Lot of Opinions
As an album, INMIY begins with a haunting track called “Everyone’s At It.” And for once with Allen, the content of the track matches the mood of the music. “Everyone’s At It” comes at you like electro-goth-pop while Allen pleads with the world to help heal the massive drug problem it has. And I agree with her, from anti-depressants to methamphetamines, we need to find a solution to the world’s dependency problem. This isn’t the first of Allen’s opinion-based stances. Actually, she has an aggressive and vulgar hate track geared towards George W. Bush (“F*ck You”) with angry lyrics set to a cheerful and bouncy musical background, in true Lily Allen style. Second single "Not Fair" has a rolling Old West-tinged feel to it, while Allen's coy voice complains about her man being terrible in bed. It's amazing how Lily Allen can wrap very personal lyrics (you know this song came from real life) with some of the strangest musical compositions. It's almost Aqua-like without the varying degrees of cheese.
Its Not Just Me, Lily Is Exploring Electronica
"I Could Say" ebbs and flows dramatically, supported by a breakbeat percussion, while "22" bounces along giddily. "Back To The Start" is a wild, messy joyride featuring some 8-bit noises, a lot of fun. And with a cute swagger, "Never Gonna Happen" features a mid-tempo beat and some accordion to boot. "Him," "Chinese," "He Wasn't There," and "Who'd Have Known" didn't really make an impression on me, though. They all sounded a little too... I guess mellow? I'm not sure how to describe it except I feel apathetic while listening. It's all good though, the rest of the album more than makes up for this album-ending downpoint.
Summary
Allen's sophomore album showcases real talent, and I eagerly anticipate future releases from her. I would almost request less cheek from her but I feel that's what makes her so engaging. "Everyone's At It" and "Never Gonna Happen" are my favorites.Released February 2009 on Capitol Records
