Lily Allen
It's Not Me, It's You
(Capitol/EMI)
Success may not have spoiled Lily Allen -- but it hasn't calmed her down much either.
The cheeky British pop phenom is still shooting from the lip and the hip on her sophomore album It's Not Me, It's You (in stores Tuesday). Granted, she's no longer tooling around London on her bike, scrapping with other birds down the club and kvetching at her lazy brother like she did on 2005's Alright, Still. This time, Lil tackles more weighty fare -- religion, fame, drug abuse, sexism and racism included. But as the title suggests, she still has time to rake a few exes over the coals for their romantic, um, shortcomings. And as always, the 23-year-old songbird's acid-tongued lyrics are offset by sugar-sweet vocals that float above an incongruously sunny landscape of danceable synth-based pop -- though she's dumped blue-eyed reggae for old-school electronica with dashes of country and jazz.
Earth-shattering? No. But compared to a certain other British diva, Allen is still doing better than all right.
Everyone's At It 4:35
And by At It, Lily means taking drugs -- legal and otherwise. Her point: We can't fix the problem until we face it. But a bouncy disco beat and bleepy synths make this one of the happiest anti-drug songs ever written.
The Fear 3:26
"Everything's cool as long as I'm getting thinner," sneers Allen in this sarcastic take on the warped world of fame. The electro-pop backdrop has an edgy chill that matches her icy tone.
Not Fair 3:20
Lily goes country, praising a new love over a tinkly piano and a twangy boom-chikka beat. Then she guns him down: "When we get up to bed you're just no good ... You never make me scream." Speaking of not fair ...
22 3:05
Next stop: The jazz club. A fingerpopping groove decorated with ragtime clarinet and banjo back up our heroine as she snipes at a society that thinks a single woman's life ends at 30.
I Could Say 4:03
"I could say that I'll always be here for you," coos Allen on this atmospheric, swirly electro-pop breakup number. "But that would be a lie and quite a pointless thing to do." No wonder she can't keep a guy.
Back to the Start 4:13
Lily shows her softer side, apologizing to someone -- a sister? a schoolmate? -- for years of mistreatment and asking for a clean slate. But it's no teary ballad: A twitchy, speedy electronica track underscores her urgency.
Never Gonna Happen 3:27
A new twist: Allen breaks up with another chump -- after using him for a booty call. Gotta love that. The gypsy-jazz soundtrack of flamenco guitar and accordion are pretty cool too.
F--- You 3:40
Like a lot of celebrities, Lil has two words for British tabs filled with racism and homophobia. But only she could turn them into a delightfully sweet, follow-the-bouncing-ball singalong.
Who'd Have Known 3:49
All those breakups begin here: With the exciting novelty and awkward hesitations in a budding romance. For once, the gentle piano ballad score suits the lyrics.
Chinese 3:27
Still glowing with love -- as illustrated by shimmery, heart-thumping electro-pop -- Lily just wants to stay home, eat take-out and watch TV with her man. You know where this is headed ...
Him 3:17
Like Joan Osborne, Allen wonders what God is really like. Unlike Joan, in this folk-hop number she's sure of one thing: "His favourite band is Creedence Clearwater Revival."
He Wasn't There 2:50
Next to God, there's Dad. Over a scratchy softshoe shuffle, Lily dissects her estranged relationship and eventual reconciliation with her father. Daddy issues? Who'd have known?