Anyone from the United Kingdom that hasn't heard of young Miss Allen has either been living under a stone for the last four months or is at least fifty years old - not saying that fifty year olds haven't heard of her, just they are oooooolld. The daughter of "comedian" Keith Allen and "the newest face of the Myspace generation," Lily has already caused a huge fuss with the U.K. public since the single "Smile" was placed on Radio 1's "A" playlist earlier this Summer and stormed to the top of the charts.
Alright, Still starts on familiar ground with "Smile." And while it is a good song with its reggae styling and bittersweet lyrics on rejection, sadly it has been played to death on the radio in the build up to it's release. As a result it has become a little stale and tired, not that this can be blamed on Lily. It hits all the right notes and for a first time listener it certainly does have the hooks to draw you in and dispel all the thoughts of Lily being like fellow Internet pioneer Sandi Thom - all hype. This is followed by the much better "Knock 'em Out," which sees Lily deal with the advances of an unwanted suitor in a pub with lines such as "And no you can't have my number / Why? / Cause I've lost my phone," all over a jaunty horn and piano backing.
"LDN" is Lily's tribute to her home of London and is whimsical and somewhat poignant in places. After this, though, the album does lose some of its dynamic and becomes a bit more average as songs such as "Everything's Wonderful" and "Friday Night" sandwich the amusing "Not Big," which savagely attacks an ex's prowess in the bedroom department. However the album does pick up in time for the amazingly enjoyable little ditty that is "Alfie," which has become by favorite song of 2006 thus far. The song is an ode to Lily's younger brother spending his life getting stoned rather than "getting laid."
Every year around this time an album comes out that is deemed an album for Summer and Alright, Still has all the ingredients to be it this year. While there will be albums that come out this year that may have a bigger effect on you or mean more to you, few will be as infectious and fun as this. This is a pop album with heart and would have stood out on it's on without Lily's attacks on other musicians which have started to dominate the press; hopefully they won't overshadow the great album when people look back on 2006. Lily Allen seems to have a bright future ahead of her if she can keep producing songs like the ones that make Alright, Still such a good fun time album.
