Lily Allen - It's Not Me,It's You

Thu 19th Feb, 2009 in Music Reviews

In the past three years since the release of her debut album Alright, Still, the daughter of Keith and the sister of the infamous Alfie has made several transitions in terms of her public image. They can’t all be listed here, as a review can only go for so long, but a highlights reel includes (deep breath): foul-mouthed pop starlet, drunken festival nightmare, controversy queen, purported alcoholic, purported druggie, bitchy blogger, public enemy #1, pink-haired partygoer…you get the idea. And why do we know all of this? Simple – there’s been no new music to distract us from it all!

So, imagine the relief for fans and tabloids alike as Lily Allen’s sophomore emerges in 2009. On It’s Not Me, It’s You, Allen has bravely stepped up to the pallet alongside – œThe Bee’ of The Bird and The Bee, Greg Kurstin. This is bold, spacious, chameleon-like pop music with a distinct, scornful twist that adds a little sourness to the sugar and spice. It’s an almost idiosyncratic contrast which, once again, works well; but this time, it’s with flying colours.

When dissecting It’s Not Me, it’s a matter of what has changed and what has stayed the same in Lily Allen’s sound. Each tally on either side contributes to what gives the record its strength: Allen’s vocals, as an example of what has stayed the same, are as charming, honest and subtly vicious as ever; very much in accordance with the lyrics they are paired with. The predominant idea of the album is to deal, in some kind of humorous or clever way, with a fresh batch of issues that Lily feels the uncontrollable urge to speak out on. It’s now, however, where the differences come into play.

Instead of simple city life, missing a boyfriend or taking revenge on some wanker, it’s all fame-and-fortune spite ( The Fear ), keeping addictions at bay ( Everyone’s At It ), and even somewhat of a political agenda ( Fuck You ). 22, for instance, deals with the fascination society has gradually developed with youth, in particular for females, and why a woman in her thirties is more or less obsolete: “It’s sad that it’s true/How society says/Her life is already over”.

Elsewhere on the record, Him is a daring religious commentary, questioning Christ-following extremists if they truly do live like their saviour. “Do you think his favourite type of human is Caucasian?/Do you reckon he’s ever been done for tax evasion?”, she says with the perfect amount of world-weariness to allow the humour to work to her favour. Think of it as Joan Osbourne on crack. It’s biting, ballsy and uproarious fun.

Another tick in the differences box comes in the form of Kurstin’s production. A lack of that old, old wooden ship – diversity – unintentionally held back the potential of Alright, Still in terms of its musical content. Nearly every track was based around reggae-tinged boppiness, which despite suiting Allen’s vocals, could only last for so long. It’s Not Me is a different story entirely: you’ll be hard pressed to find many similar-sounding numbers here, a total credit to the wonders Mr. Greg Kurstin has worked.

Lead single The Fear moves from isolated guitar-picking right into twirling electro-pop bombast in a damn-near-seamless fashion (a tad reminiscent of his own band’s musical stylings). Its successor is Not Fun, with an irony-laden cowgirl sway and a rollicking beat that likes both kinds of music – country and western. The album’s sound lets an array of acoustic guitars, banjos, whistles, synthesisers, beats and even a little vocoder fill the void. A bold and somewhat adventurous versatility throughout the album keeps Allen sounding fresh and Kurstin, with any luck, in high demand beyond this release.

Lily Allen has, currently is, and seemingly always will piss people off. However, this has truly worked in her favour as somewhat of a tribute to everyone that she has; and It’s Not Me, It’s You looks already to be one of the best pop records of the year. Mark this as her complete transition from cheeky ladette to a whole new kind of pop star.

It’s Not Me, It’s You is out now through EMI.