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

Album release: February 10, 2009

Lily Allen, I missed you.  I first saw you as a modern day Jessica Rabbit in the music video for the Mark Ronson collaborated cover of "Oh My God," and I fell in love.  I downloaded bought your debut album Alright, Still...and thought you were a pop genius.  Then I heard all these tabloidy-Perez Hilton stories about you, and I defended you.  No, not my Lily!  She can't let the spotlight blind her!  She wouldn't.  She can't let me down!  She's not Britney, she's not Amy (Winehouse, who she's exchanged a few words with)!  She's better then that!

And she is.

Back with her new album, It's Not Me, It's You, Lily couldn't make me happier.  She continues to make great pop songs with meaning, this time experimenting more with electronica and a hint of Americana/country.  She's capable of pulling off catchy pop tunes with a message, something many artists can't imagine, let alone execute.

 There's opening track, "Everyone's At It", calls out hypocrisy and denial when it comes to drug abusage, leaving no one safe in the fray, even herself.  There's first single, "The Fear," is a wake up call to those celebrities who are more famous for their private life, then their career life.  There's even the upbeat political send-off to the former president, "Fuck You".  But, for the avid Lily Allen fan, keep in mind she does get off the soapbox and sing about sex and love and ex's and currents.  

Lily sings about guys who suck in bed ("Not Fair"), guys she's happy about leaving ("I Could Say" and "Never Gonna Happen") and new relationships ("Who'd Have Known").  She sings about God in "Him", and what if He were one of us (thanks, Joan Osbourne).  She reminds us that she's still a daddy's girl in the honky-tonk "He Wasn't There."  She reminds us that she's still as great as ever.

What I love about Lily Allen is that regardless of how raw she comes off, she still seems approachable.  There's one part in "Who'd Have Known" where she sings "And today, you accidently called me baby," and I can't help but smile.  She goes from ripping Bush a new one and putting down all these "celebrities" to coming off as harmless, naive, and innocent.  That's Lily Allen for ya: the pop singer for the anti-Britney fan, the spokeswoman for the unspoken, and the sweetheart with a heart of gold and mouth of a sailor.  I missed you Lily, and I couldn't be happier that you're back.  

It's Not Me, It's You comes out February 10, 2009 on Capitol Records.