Lily Allen
“Alright, Still”
CAPITOL RECORDS
Lily Allen has been touted as the quintessential MySpace success story, gaining thousands of fans by uploading her songs to the pervasive social networking site.
For months we’ve been able to stream her entire album online, and many have seen her music video for “Smile” playing round-the-clock on mtvU. Her blend of pop, ska and hip-hop has been available in the U.K. since July, but now Lily Allen’s debut LP “Alright, Still” has finally been released in the United States.
“Alright, Still” has 11 songs that deal with a variety of topics, from a harsh breakup (“Smile”), to Kate Moss (“Everything’s Just Wonderful”), to a brother with an insatiable appetite for marijuana (“Alfie”). Allen’s vocal delivery, at once sweet and sarcastic, complements her honest, brazen lyrics.
Spacey pop synths and a horn section flesh out well-crafted songs with beautiful textures and dynamics. Every song is energetic, but each has a slightly different musical feel ““ there are glimpses of mariachi, disco, show tunes and old-school jazz ““ making for an interesting pop album with a range of influences.
The most consistent influence is the ska bounce that gives even the most pessimistic lyrics a positive vibe. An omnipresent horn section that appears throughout the album also provides some kind of cohesiveness to Allen’s bipolar songs and lyrics.
“Knock ‘Em Out” captures Allen’s ability to write a song for any situation. In this case, it’s avoiding pathetic guys trying to get her digits at a pub. Her excuses ““ she has herpes, she’s pregnant, her house is on fire ““ are entertaining and all too realistic.
“Smile,” the album’s first single, is similarly funny, a kiss-off to an ex-boyfriend still trying to get her for “a little whine and a moan.”
“Alfie” opens with an almost comical Dixieland vignette featuring clarinet and sax, and abruptly jumps into another ska groove. “Oh, deary me / My little brother’s in his bedroom smoking weed / I tell him he should get up cause it’s nearly half past three / He can’t be bothered “˜cause he’s high on THC,” Allen sings.
It continues for two more hilarious verses that plead lovingly with her brother to take it easy on the pot.
In addition to the amusing lyrics, the music itself is among the most creative of the record. Synthesized strings and a baroque digital horn reminiscent of “Penny Lane” find the Beatles among her many influences.
Lily Allen can put a bubbly pop spin on even the most depressing lyrics. She has been loved by some as a straightforward and energetic lyricist, but criticized by others as a passing fad. With the release of “Alright, Still” in the States comes America’s chance to speak up with their credit cards.