The Year In Music, 2007: The Best CDs Of The Year [Part 1] -- Lily Allen, Alright, Still

US Release Date: 30 January 2007

MAINSTREAM POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
DEBUT ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Okay, let's just get this out of the way right now. Lily Allen is abso-freakin'-lutely adorable. And so is Alright, Still.

We cannot talk about 22-year-old Lily Allen without taking a quick trip through her family background. Lily is what we now in the US might refer to as "celebuspawn". Lily's father is Keith Allen, a middlingly-famous British actor and musician not famous enough that we in the US would know who he is without googling him. Lily's mother is British TV producer Alison Owen.

Lily's celebrity upbringing was both a help and a hindrance to her desire to become a singer in her own right. Fans and detractors -- and potential competitors -- constantly questioned her bona fides, and asked how much her celebrity parentage was helping her career along. Tiring of these barriers, eventually Lily decided to create her music career the new-fashioned way: on MySpace. Indeed, Lily Allen may be the first true "pop star" to emerge entirely from her MySpace presence. [Take THAT, Tila Tequila -- Ed.]

In addition to posting all of her music on MySpace, Lily kept in touch with her fans -- and attracted legions of new fans -- through her MySpace blog, in which she opened up about her life: her body-image issues, her beloved English Bull Terrier, Maggie May [whom she reported missing back in December, but who turned up safe-if-not-so-sound shortly thereafter -- that's Maggie May in the lower-left corner of the CD cover photo], and, perhaps most famously, her "feud" with fellow Brit singer Lady Sovereign:

Dear Lady Sovereign

In response to Miss sovereigns comments , I've spoken to my Dad and he says he'd be happy to adopt you if you think it will give you a leg up .

The 21-year-old rapper - who is enjoying chart success in the US - thinks it is unfair she is attacked in Britain for her sense of style, while Lily is lauded for her quirky dress sense.
Lady Sovereign told the Observer Music Monthly magazine: 'I'm not appreciated. You get some of the media hating people like me 'cause they're chavish but Lily is the biggest chav going and everyone seems to love her.' The 'Public Warning' singer insists she doesn't hate Lily, but thinks she has had it easy, because she is the daughter of successful comic actor Keith Allen.
She added: 'I'm not hating on her but someone like Lily Allen, just 'cause her dad's famous, doesn't have to work as hard as someone like me.' The Wembley-born MC also claims her next album is going to be so controversial, her record label Def Jam will 's**t themselves'.
The rapper - who can count Nas and LL Cool J as her label mates - said: 'If they think my current album is irregular the next one's going to be pretty f**ked up. I've got so many things to say. They're going to s**t themselves.'

Perhaps growing up with famous-for-British-"Hollywood" parents gave Lily a unique perspective on fame and stardom. She seems remarkably humble and self-composed for being a huge break-out popstar. Perhaps that's also due to the fact that she's still just 22 and this all seems so new and remarkable to her.

Back in late May -- it seems like so much longer ago -- Lily had the chance to duet with her idol, Blondie's Debbie Harry, on The Today Show. Lily is still so in awe of her idols that she doesn't want to take the spotlight away from Debbie, not even appearing on stage until after Meredith Viera finishes her interview with Debbie:



And Lily has no problem making herself -- or her fellow break-out stars -- the butt of a joke by, well, looking ridiculous:


[Lily as Amy Winehouse recently on the British teevee show "Friday Night Project" -- Ed.]

But wait -- isn't this post supposed to be about Alright, Still?

Lily's debut CD is a brilliant tour-de-force that mixes elements of brit-pop, ska, R&B, dance, and neo-60's-Motown to produce the best "mainstream pop" CD of the first half of 2007.

Yes, I just wrote that.

Part of it is Mark Ronson's brilliant production work [more on HIM later -- Ed.]. Part of it is Lily's unique and entertaining songwriting. Whether she's writing and singing about the pitfalls facing ladies in the club scene ["Knock 'Em Out", "Friday Night"], past lovers who have done her wrong ["Not Big", "Littlest Things"], her body-image issues ["Everything's Just Wonderful"], or her "little baby brother" Alfie who won't stop smoking weed and pullllllling her hair ["Alfie"], Lily manages to create a nearly perfect concoction of sing-a-long lyrics and head-bouncing music. Ironically, at the tender age of 21 [when she recorded this record] Lily managed to create the precise CD that Geri ["Ginger Spice"] Halliwell spent 10 years of her career struggling -- and not succeeding -- to make.

Part of it is also Lily's sailor-mouth. Brits -- especially female Brits -- can "get away away with" being "foul-mouthed sailors" in ways that Americans can't. Lily also benefits from being a young woman -- out of her 22-year-old mouth, it doesn't sound crass -- in context, it even sounds subversively fun. ["oh, my gosh, you must be joking me / if you think that you'll be poking me", from "Shame For You" -- Ed.]

And speaking of subversive fun, Alright, Still is the most subversively "fun" record of the year. Listen to the three most head-bouncing singles on this CD: "Smile", "LDN", and "Alfie". Listen to the lyrics VERY CAREFULLY. Unless you are the asshole-ex-boyfriend of "Smile", the old-lady-who-got-mugged-in-the-park of "LDN", or the "twat" [= rhymes with "hat", not "hot"] baby brother of "Alfie", you will have no choice but to grin slyly as you bounce your head along, feeling like you are "in" on an inside joke.

Lily Allen's Alright, Still is head-and-shoulders-above-the-crowd one of the best pop records of the year. If Lily can maintain her careful balance of clever songrwriting, ahead-of-the-curve production, and attitude, she just may be able to cultivate that career she's long wanted.

*****


[Lily Allen performing "Everything's Just Wonderful" and "Littlest Things" live at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, 25 June 2007 -- Ed.]


[Lily Allen music video for "Smile" -- Ed.]


[Lily Allen music video for "Alfie" -- Ed.]


[Lily Allen music video for "LDN" -- Ed.]

*****

Still haven't fallen in love with Lily Allen yet? And you need more?

Seriously???

[Lily Allen music video for "Smile" in Simlish -- the "language" for The Sims. Seriously, there is a language for The Sims. This may actually be nerdier than those people who go to Star Trek conventions dressed as Klingons and only speak to each other in Klingon. Seriously. Just sayin' -- Ed.]

Invite Lily to go bowling sometime:

[Lily went bowling with a friend in Japan while on tour in early 2007. We have no idea which bowler is Lily -- Ed.]

*****

Okay, you still aren't sold? This is the last best hope for you...
Lily Allen has a third nipple. And she's not afraid to whip it out and show you.


Check please!

*****

Lily Allen, Alright, Still

Reviews / Ratings:

Blender [out of 5]: 4.5
Pitchfork [out of 10]: 8.3
Rolling Stone [out of 5]: 3.5
Spin [out of 5]: 4

metacritic.com [weighted combined rating, out of 100]: 79

*****

So, what MP3's could I possibly post from this record? All of the hits are ubiquitous by now, and there are some great tracks beyond those hits.

This will plague me over the course of this project.

For Alright, Still, I've decided to post my favorite of the three "hit" tracks, "Alfie", and a great "album" track, "Everything's Just Wonderful". Enjoy!

Lily Allen - Alfie [MP3, via YSI]
Lily Allen - Alfie [MP3, via zShare]

Lily Allen - Everything's Just Wonderful [MP3, via YSI]
Lily Allen - Everything's Just Wonderful [MP3, via zShare]

*****

[Next: This Ain't A Scene, It's A God Damn Great Record -- Ed.]