Lily Allen
Alright, Still
(EMI)
An artist for the peer-to-peer generation, Lily Allen exploded on the UK scene earlier this year, her first single “Smile” rocketing to the top of the singles chart and becoming the hit of the summer across the pond.
Set to a reggae-tinged backdrop, “Smile”—one woman’s vengeful thoughts towards her ex in the aftermath of a break-up—is cheeky fun.
The most amazing thing about Allen, the 21-year-old daughter of UK pseudo-celeb Keith Allen, is her savvy. Rather than wait for a record deal, she posted songs on MySpace and soon had over a million listens on her page by simple word of mouth. A bidding war ensued and now she’s a star in Britain.
Allen’s debut shows she’s far from a one-trick pony —although she follows the template set by “Smile”—playing like the female version of The Streets, wittily dishing out disses against club-hopping meatheads on “Knock Em Out,” against her little brother on “Alfie” and her ex gets it again on “Not Big.”
A pitch-perfect mixture of Britpop, ska, bossa nova and ’60s kitsch backs up Allen’s sharp tongue. Whether or not it’s those behind the scenes who are actually pulling the strings, based on Alright, Still, Allen is one artist it’s hard not to be friends with.
Johnston Farrow
categories: Coast pick
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
