If we’re to believe the hyperbole-laden advance press about Lily Allen’s debut record, Alright, Still, the spunky British singer’s rise to stardom is inevitable. Blender has named Allen the #1 reason to “Love 2007,” and even the notoriously cranky folks at Pitchfork have given the album a relatively unheard-of 8.3 rating. Knowing this going in, I was prepared to categorically despise Alright, Still. And while it has nothing resembling substance, and its range of emotions goes a little something like this – cheeky song, brassy song, smart-ass song, cheeky song – I’m a fan.
Allen succeeds by understanding her role as the sassy, sarcastic, non-conformist girl, somewhere in between Lady Sovereign and No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani. She rarely takes herself too seriously and lets her album’s excellent grooves do most of the talking. It’s a smart strategy, because the music is all airy and addictive, a mix of second-wave ska, dance hall, light hip-hop and new wave that’s littered with great hooks.
“LDN” is a 21st-century re-imagining of Blondie’s “The Tide Is High,” with Allen’s friendly sing-speak vocal rounding out the carefree mood. “Shame For You” combines dramatic, big-band horns with Allen’s cutesy/threatening lyrics (i.e. “When you ask if we can still be lovers/I’ll have to introduce my brothers”). “Alfie” is definitive proof that Allen is more than your run-of-the-mill pop star. A swirling, carnival/polka/pop tune about a pot-smoking, video game-addicted younger brother who ironically shares a name with Michael Caine’s famed lothario, the track is an endearingly bizarre, totally original confection.
Still, the album is by no means a masterpiece. Its moments of supreme catchiness are undercut by Allen’s reliance on hippie high school guidance counselor sentiments, especially on “Take What You Take,” which features the lines, “Say what you say/Do what you do/Feel what you feel/As long as it’s real.” (Going by this logic, it’s OK to feel what you feel if you’re a sociopath, or if you enjoy sexual congress with animals. As long as it’s real, right?) Regardless, Allen’s formula works more often than not, and when she truly shines – like on the awesomely catchy single “Smile” – she’s a great example of what unthreatening, unabashedly fluffy pop music can accomplish.
Appeared in the February 1, 2007, issue of Artvoice.