Britain's Pop Princess, Lilly Allen
By Susie Salva Â
Pop sensation. Voice of her generation. Fashion designer. Political activist. X-rated sexpert. Fall-down drunk. Queen of Myspace. Exhibitionist. Primadonna. Style icon. Celebrity girlfriend. Celebrity daughter. Celebrity sister. Paparazzi prey. Party starter. Princess.
Britain’s Lily Allen, 23, has been called all these things, and much, much more – sometimes with justification, often without. She’s posh, she’s common, she’s sexy, she’s shameless, and she’s distraught, often in the same evening. Then she goes to bed, gets up and has breakfast and then she posts her breakfast on the Internet. Then other people analyze her breakfast and wonder why she posted it?
Allen has just released her sophomore effort, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” on Capitol Records which can be found to be contrary, occasionally catty, compelling displaying one of Britain’s most consistently engaging pop stars who has been one of the most successful. In America, this Brit, Lily Allen can be compared to that of label mate Katy Perry, both whom are pop princesses, cheeky, searingly honest, and satirical.
On “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” Allen’s characteristically sharp observations find expression in a variety of musical styles, with influences ranging from Jazz Era to country and western to high-energy dance music. Highlights include, “Everyone’s At It,” a synth-pop song about prescription drugs that features Allen on xylophone: “He Wasn’t There” matches emotional lyrics about her absent father to a jazz groove, and “Not Fair” finds a saucy country song about an inadequate lover.
“It’s Not Me, It’s You,” entered the U.K. album chart at No. 1 while in the States it claims the No. 1 spot on the iTunes’ album chart and debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200.
Paired with producer Greg Kustin (the bird and the bee) Allen explains, “We decided to try and make a bigger sounding, more ethereal songs. I wanted to work with one person from start to finish to make it one body of work. I wanted it to feel like it had some integrity. I think I’ve grown up a bit as a person and I hope it reflects that.”
The lead track, “Everyone’s At It,” is a synthesized pop rant about the proliferation of kids on antidepressants. Then the cheeky, “Not Fair,” is a country, banjo-picking ode to an unfulfilling sexual partner completely impotent. “The Fear,” the first single off of “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” foretells of the celebrity culture we all live in and how it pervades our lives. “The Fear” tops the UK singles charts for three weeks in a row. The record carries a parental advisory sticker and rightly so as Allen delivers a cabaret song with a hooky chorus entitled “F**k You,” and a song about ageism “22” life after age 30, stories of 9/11 on “Him,” TV dinners on the song “Chinese,” and the fragile beauty of early romance on “Who’d Have Known.”
Lyrically, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” is both a continuation of the preoccupations of her debut CD of “Alright, Still,” which produced the break out hit, “Smile.” The cut was a fully formed phenomenon — a song that would help define that summer of 2006. “Smile,” was Allen’s first CD single and her first UK number one, which served as an excellent primer for the Allen oeuvre, a breezy, lilting, ska-inflected tune distinguished by sugar-sweet vocals and autobiographical lyrics. The affecting, often very funny examinations of relationships and sexual politics are still on the disc, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,”- and joyously so – but bigger themes are also tackled: God is on this record, as is George Bush and Allen’s family are here too. Plus you can find all the triumphs and tribulations of life as seen by a young woman in the late Noughties Britain.
“I find it hard to write songs about nothing,” say Allen. “I try to write things that are both relevant to my life – which is totally weird and surreal – and also universal. I think the record is probably a bit darker but not because I have a darker outlook on life. I actually feel happier right now then when I released, “Alright, Still.” When I was writing the first record I felt like I was really struggling. I wanted to be doing something and I felt no one was interested. Now I feel like people are very interested.”
“It’s Not Me, It’s You,” is a record that is compelling, quirky, silly and invigorating. Allen has originality and purpose creating truly memorable music that makes her stand apart from imitators. This record is unmistakably her and brings home truths and social commentary delivered in the voice of an angel. For more on Allen you can hit her up where it all began on Myspace page: www.myspace.com/lilyallen or on her own website at: www.lilyallenmusic.com
Photography by Simon Emmet.
