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

This is the second studio album from pop artist Lily Allen. It was released in 2009, three years after Alright Still.

So if I were Ms Allen's record company executive just prior to this album being released, the conversation would have gone something like this: "Lily, I think you're a wonderful person (100% true) and these songs clearly come straight from the heart (ditto). But they're not quite polished enough, they need more work before we can release this".

Or perhaps it's just that the Atomic Kitten-esque domesticated style of much of this album is too far out of my comfort zone. Most songs have moments of greatness, but often it's a catchy chorus that's let down by dud verses (The Fear, Who'd Have Known) or vice-versa (Everyone's At It, 22, Never Gonna Happen).

However, it all comes together perfectly for Not Fair, with the unusual spaghetti-western flavouring that works a treat. To me, it's a return to everything that made her debut album brilliant: innocent-sounding catchy pop that is wonderfully contrasted by biting lyrics.

On a similar note, F*ck You unleashes a torrent of bitter, hateful lyrics... ahh, perfect! Outside of the chorus, lyrics are actually quite a well articulated argument against intolerance. But of course the wonderfully immature chorus is the highlight, with the absurd profanity being perfectly complemented by catchy sugar-pop being cranked up to eleven. It's like Killing in the Name Of inside a bubblegum-pop trojan horse...

 

Favourite songs

Not Fair, F*ck You

 

I diggit?

No, sorry.