Lily Allen
Alright, Still.
Score: 6.9
Before I begin this review, understand that I am not a fan of female vocalists, mostly because whenever I hear a song, I like to sing with it, and usually my voice blends nicely with male vocals (as long as the volume is high) but trying to blend my voice with Lily Allen’s on the song Smile well, it just doesn’t work. After listening to Alright, Still I fell in love with Lily Allen, because she is the first (probably not) female vocalist to bring some fucking heat to the tracks, I mean, she still sounds like a girl (nauseatingly so, at times) but the lyrics are robust enough to look past it. Also, isn’t her English accent sooo cute?
Alright, Still is a hilarious record, but there is an underlying message of heartbreak, I would say that Lily wrote this album after a breakup, Smile and Not Big are probably the shining examples of this. Both songs are great and have light, fun beats, but the lyrics are fucking fierce, she raps (not really so much rap as singing slightly faster than usual) about how she takes comfort in her ex’s sorrow, and how the ex in questions penis is, get this, below normal size! Oh, and apparently he has ED as well. How anyone could have ED in the presence of Lily is beyond me, but that’s neither here nor there.
What makes Allen approachable and likeable isn’t that she’s pretty, her lyrics are smart, and unlike her British counterpart—Lady Sovereign—I’m not afraid of her. Even though she is mean on the album, something there just tells me that it’s her wit, and that if you come across her, she won’t actually beat the ever loving shit out of you. Her wit turns the album from alright (get it?) to something of a treasure, and unlike most British pop tarts, she has something to say, and she can deliver it in a way that isn’t offensive on the ears.
As great as Alright, Still is, there are still some flaws, after the first six tracks, the record starts to get boring, the charm of her lyrics wears off and while it’s still listenable, it’s not consistent, maybe it’s unfair of me to expect an album full of great songs, but with as much intertron hype as this one received, I still expect something more. The album is also really short, 37 minutes, but with the second half (mostly) lagging I won’t complain. The album is shiny, that is, I can see the tracks covered in some shiny protective substance, but she manages to maintain some rawness to the songs. And for some reason, unbeknownst to me, I do enjoy the raw.
While Alright, Still isn’t as magnificent as everyone hyped it up to be, I would say that it is fucking solid, and considering this is her first go. I’d say she has nowhere to go from here but upwards.
Alright, Still
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