Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
10 Feb 2009
Review by Rachel Coppenhaver
It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since Lily Allen’s debut album burst onto the pop scene. Even long after the final chords of “Smile” faded from radio play, Allen kept in the tabloids with her antics. With her sophomore release, Allen is intent to prove that she’s grown up… at least a little bit. She still gives us her witty lyrics, pokes fun at old boyfriends, and talks about family members. But Allen also gets a bit more serious and talks about drugs, politics, and the hardships of relationships. Produced by The Bird and the Bee’s Gregory Kurstin, It’s Not Me, It’s You benefits from the decision to have only one producer and gives us a mostly cohesive sound.
The album opens with “Everyone’s At It”, Allen’s commentary on the drug culture of today, both legal and illegal. A great opener and sure to be the next single for this controversy and attention loving girl. She doesn’t deny drug use, she neither openly approves nor disapproves of it, she just tells us that everyone should address the problem and be honest. The first single release from the album, “The Fear” is the next track which points out and makes fun of the celebrity lifestyle and status. “I’ll take all my clothes off/ and it will be shameless/ Cause everyone knows/ that how you get famous” has got to be one of the best lines on the album. Captured by photographers sunbathing topless recently, Allen seems to have getting famous down but still makes the song serious and relevant by admitting that it scares her to be in the spotlight all the time and have to keep real life and fame in perspective. The song is catchy, clever, and has a great music video to accompany it.
Other standout tracks include a fast-paced apology letter to her sister (”Back to the Start”), the tale of a party girl who finds herself at 30 and still acting like “22″, and an expose’ of an attentive boyfriend who is rubbish in bed (”Not Fair”). “Not Fair” also provides us with more great humourous lyrics as well as a bit of a techno hoedown vibe, which sounds all wrong, but works surprising well. “Never Gonna Happen” also deserves a mention if for nothing else for using the bold choice of an accordian to open (although there are other merits).
Unfortunately, there are several misses as well. Her musings on god are more strange than philosophical in “Him”
as she has apparently discovered that god’s favourite band is Creedence Clearwater Revival. Who knew? She also gives us a to-do list in “Chinese” of activities planned with her beau.
But the pros of this album as a whole far outweigh the cons. The album flows easily from one song to the other
but offers enough variety to keep the audience happy and not to sound like the same song a dozen different ways. Lily is definitely back and grown up and here to stay for a while.
Lily Allen can be found on tour in Europe and in the US this Spring.
Visit Lily’s MySpace http://www.myspace.com/lilymusic
Watch the video for “The Fear” http://facrockrae.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/lily-allens-new-video
