What's better than a deceptively attractive British pop star who swears, picks fights with other pop stars, hosts her own talk show, and goes on drunken rampages?Why, a deceptively attractive British pop star who swears, picks fights with other pop stars, hosts her own talk show, goes on drunken rampages, and makes terrific music!
I'm just going to put it out there: I fucking love Lily Allen. My love for Lily is multi-faceted, though. First of all, I love people who tell it like it is. Ask yourself, is there nothing more annoying in this world than celebrities who play the politically correct card every time they're asked to talk about a "sensitive subject"? Stop pussyfooting around, and tell us how you really feel. We pay top dollar to see your concerts. We shell out cash to see your movies. And we illegally download your albums. Give us something quotable in return.
Secondly, she's a songwriting genius. I don't throw the G word around too often, but when it comes to someone like Lily, I make the exception. Allen has made a career off of slick, melodic, hook-laden pop records that are as scathing as they are catchy. Take for example "Smile", the song that put her on the map back in 2006:
At first when I see you cry
Yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes me smile
At worst I feel bad for a while
But then I just smile I go ahead and smile
Lily's greatest gift as an artist is her ability to take something so morose and malicious yet make it sound so damn delightful. Unlike some of her peers and contemporaries, Lily manages to both bite convincingly and bark beautifully.This combination of "sunny darkness" came to define her 2006 debut Alright, Still, and it also aptly describes her sophomore effort It's Not Me, It's You.
The brilliant thing about It's Not Me is how Lily balances her natural evolution as an artist with her unwillingness to compromise her own image and voice. While her debut album was heavily steeped in ska, reggae, and Britpop, the new record dabbles in more electronically-tinged dance pop, guitar ballads, and even bluegrass (check out the hysterically nasty "Not Fair").
Lyrically, she proves once again that she's an accomplished wordsmith, crafting zinger after zinger, whilst piling on hook after hook. She's also widened her targets, going after everyone from coked up celebrities, to nice guys who suck in bed, to President Bush, and even....Jesus.
When you lay it all on the table, it's hard not to love someone like Lily Allen. She's turned more than a few people off with some of her outlandish comments. Just Wiki the woman and you'll see what I mean. But can you really hate on someone in her position who never holds her tongue?And yet the press headlines would make her nothing more than tabloid fodder if not for the fact that her music is absolutely stunning. In 2007, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of the Year. And the critical reaction to It's Not Me, It's You has been generally positive thus far. What separates her as a musician from so many of her pop rivals is that her records aren't disposable, nor do they shock for the sake of shock. They're hooky therapy sessions for a woman enclosed in a world that isn't her style.
Lily Allen may sometimes act like she despises celebrity, but at the end of the day, she may just be the most fascinating pop star of the moment. And certainly, one of my favorites.
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