Alright, Still [PA]

Performer: Lily Allen
Producer: Greg Kurstin
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Mark Nicholls, Paul Farr (guitar); Michael Rose (saxophone); Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton (trumpet); Trevor Edwards (trombone); John Ellis (keyboards); Clive Hunte, John Waddington (bass instrument); Jonny Wimbolt Lewis, Paul Powell (drums). With her much-buzzed-about debut album, ALL RIGHT, STILL, singer Lily Allen, the daughter of veteran British comedian Keith Allen, presents a bright, buoyant collection of pop songs that are smartly counterbalanced by her often-biting lyrical edge. On the breezy, immediately catchy "Smile," the sultry-voiced Allen takes pleasure in the woes of a former beau, while the bleakly upbeat urban ode "LDN" recalls an unlikely fusion of the Streets and Norah Jones. Though part of Allen's charm is in her day-in-the-life, U.K.-specific observations (see the punchy "Knock 'Em Out"), ALL RIGHT, STILL has enough sass, verve, and melody to appeal to a wide international audience. Like most British pop, Lily Allen's debut album, Alright, Still, overflows with impeccably shiny, creative productions. However, Allen attempts to set herself apart from the likes of Rachel Stevens, Natasha Bedingfield, and Girls Aloud with a cheeky, (mostly) amusing vindictive streak in her lyrics that belies the sugarcoated sounds around them. You know exactly what she means when she says her ex is "not big whatsoever" on "Not Big"; later, she revels in being the one that got away on "Shame for You." However, this nice-then-naughty approach is at its best on Alright, Still's singles, which open the album in a one-two-three punch. Another ex-boyfriend kiss-off, "Smile," has a silky verse melody that just barely conceals her spite, which finally spills over on the chorus: "At first, when I see you cry/It makes me smile." But even here, Allen keeps her revenge sweet -- she sounds like she's singing about how ice cream or puppies or being in love makes her smile, which gives the song an extra sting. "Knock 'Em Out" is an even sassier, more stylized battle of the sexes than the Streets' "Fit But You Know It" (and could very well be the response from the girl in Mike Skinner's song). And "LDN" is a glorious summer confection, even if "it's all lies" underneath the Lord Kitchener sample and "sun is in the sky" chorus. Alright, Still's production and arrangements, courtesy of Greg Kurstin, Mark Ronson, and Futurecut, balance Allen's tart observations with a backdrop of pop-grime beats and freewheeling, feel-good ska that makes her sound playful and kittenish instead of just catty. While the album doesn't exactly go downhill after its opening salvo, it does lose some steam, particularly with "Take What You Take," a song that feels out of character with the rest of Alright, Still because it's uncharacteristically dull, and "Alfie," which falls especially flat as the album's final song. Allen softens her tough-girl pose more successfully on "Little Things," a ballad that celebrates the mundane moments of a dying relationship ("You'd take me out shopping and all we'd buy was trainers/As if we ever needed anything to entertain us") and "Everything's Just Wonderful," where "bureaucrats that won't give me a mortgage" are the targets of her ire instead of a previous (or soon-to-be previous) boyfriend. As with Nellie McKay (another young, opinionated woman eager to make herself the maverick in her chosen style of music), the dichotomy between Allen's sweet sound and ironic lyrics could be seen as either witty or clever-clever. Still, enough of Alright, Still works -- as pure pop and on the meta level Allen aims for -- to make the album a fun, summery fling, and maybe more. [The U.S. version of Alright, Still includes a remix of "Smile" and the 50 Cent parody "Nan You're a Window Shopper" as well as U-MYX software, which allows listeners to make their own remixes of "Smile" and "Knock 'Em Out" -- not an essential addition, but a surprisingly fun one nonetheless.] ~ Heather Phares

Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[She] writes shambling pop songs, rooted in ska and rap, with cheeky rhymes....Lily Allen's an original." Rolling Stone (p.110) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "[E]leven memorable songs..." Spin (p.82) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "ALL RIGHT, STILL is all about the stories behind the stories..." Entertainment Weekly (p.130) - Ranked #8 in Entertainment Weekly's "Top 10 Records Of 2006" -- "[A] collection of irresistible pop songs imbued with both smarts and street cred." Q (p.118) - Ranked #57 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006."

U.K. singer Lily Allen is the daughter of the notorious British actor/comedian Keith Allen, and her father's sharp sense of humor is reflected in the music on her highly acclaimed 2006 debut full-length, ALL RIGHT STILL. Following the runaway success of the single "Smile"--which hit the top spot on the U.K. singles chart--the album is blend of pop-reggae, hip-hop, and U.K. R&B delivered with witty lyrical barbs and a chart-friendly pop sheen. While her brash outspokenness has made her a media fixation in England, her eclectic party jams have positioned her as something of a British answer to Gwen Stefani.

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