Name this singer: her album Alright, Still has already spawned four chart-topping singles since it was released in the United Kingdom last July. Her song "Smile" was regarded in many "Best Of" lists as one of the top singles of 2006. She's already done a stint in rehab.
If you're drawing a blank, you're not alone: Lily Allen may be topping the charts in the United Kingdom, but she's relatively unknown in the states. This may soon change, however, with the U.S. release of Alright, Still.
On her debut album — the British singer, who is the daughter of British actor Keith Allen — showcases a sundry sound most easily dubbed "pop." But this indolent classification fails to fully capture her eclectic essence, as she incorporates reggae, ska, grime, electronica, world and various other styles into her music.
After a brief record deal with Warner Records in 2002, the then-album-less Allen left the label for the United Kingdom's Regal Records. Taking her public relations into her own hands, she found fame on MySpace.com. Her near-immediate popularity there — due in as much part to her mastery of pop-song structures and comically cavalier lyrics as her ability to craft engaging blog entries — made her the newest Horatio Alger of the Internet and prompted the release of Alright, Still. Her adeptness in MySpace self-promotion paid off quickly as she topped the U.K. charts with her first single, "Smile."
Patrons of "MTV2," "mtvU" and whatever remaining "music" channels still show videos on a semi-regular basis may be familiar with Allen's songs "Smile" and "LDN." Otherwise, Allen is still barely known in America. This is largely due to the fact that Alright, Still was virtually unavailable in the United States until its release this past Tuesday on Capitol Records. Prior to the Jan. 30 release, her debut album was only available to those who had either bought the import version or obtained her music illegally.
After months of anticipation for those who were unwilling to risk any litigious run-ins with the Recording Industry Association of America and those unwilling to pay the steep price of an import, Alright, Still made its maiden voyage to U.S. record store shelves this week. The 11-song album runs a little less than 40 minutes, although the U.S. release includes three bonus tracks, including a Mark Ronson-remix of "Smile."
Alright, Still begins with a bang, and the first four songs are arguably the album's best. "Smile" opens the album with lyrics about the guilty pleasure of seeing an ex suffer, fully displaying Allen's sense of humor as a sunny reggae groove bounces ironically under the sardonic lyrics. "At first when I see you cry/ It makes me smile/ … At worst I feel bad for a while," sings a surreptitiously "smiling" Allen.
The colloquial album title exemplifies Allen's casual lyrical prowess, and she does not wait long to bring her crude British-street cadence into the mix to great effect. The second song, "Knock Em' Out," features a ragtime piano backing as Allen speaks/raps/sings in a conversational style that is best likened to the idiosyncratic vocalizing of her countryman Mike Skinner a.k.a. the Streets.
Other highlights of the album are "LDN," a Latin/Reggae fusion song with lyrics born of the streets of London, the anthemic "Take What You Take," which gives a nod to the pop songs of the Jackson 5, and "Everything's Just Wonderful," whose handclaps and Latin-timbre are reminiscent of the pop that fills the U.S. airwaves. "Alfie," a cheeky and somewhat goofy song about Allen's brother's "chronic" relationship with marijuana also deserves mention, as its playful narration of her brother's torpid lifestyle evokes something out of an anti-drug advertisement.
In the end, Alright, Still, can most simply be described as a fun, well-executed pop album with mischievous rhymes and undeniable charm. At least half of the album's 11 songs have the potential to be singles.
Though the quality and energy slightly sag through the album's middle tracks, Alright, Still in its entirety is a catchy and lively debut from a singer whose lyrical wit and eclectic sound should serve as a breath of fresh air from the tedium of most U.S. pop.
It should be interesting to see what Allen's reception will be like here in the United States: Her British contemporary Lady Sovereign said this past year that there is nothing about her crude "grime" music that doesn't fit in with the U.S. mainstream. With an album like Alright, Still, the palatable Allen should have no problem finding success here.
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
