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

Album- It’s Not Me, It’s You

Artist- Lily Allen

I just happened to put my IPod on shuffle the other day and Allen’s “The Fear” came up. I then started listening to the whole album and kind of felt like I forgot how good this record was. And in the wake of Allen, now professionally known as Lily Rose Cooper, reportedly planning a comeback to the music scene, I felt that a review would be good to hopefully get more people to pay attention to the return of a great artist.

Track 1- Everyone’s at It

The opening track is a perfect example of how Allen is not only a musician but a life observer who expresses her concerns of life within her music. This song is lyrically really intriguing in that it offers a varied view of different people in varying walks of life and is all about being honest, will Allen simply showing her views on drugs within the United Kingdom and how she feels that we need to tackle the situation. And it’s the honesty that’s the best thing about this track, with her vocal tone really giving that sense of her being neutral but also providing just that hint of judgement. The piano instrumentation and overall production is also really great, giving a sense of urgency to the track with its slightly electronic sound, with the post chorus production almost acting like sirens telling listeners to really hear what she is saying.

4/5

Track 2- The Fear

Another song that illuminates some of Allen’s fears of today’s society, the albums lead single is a delicate pop song that gently but blatantly asks questions about the nature of celebrity and consumerism and the way that it can take over. The strength of the song lies in the astute lyrical quality of the song with the more biting, this is what society has become verses complimenting the simple, I’m worried about this society chorus. And the song is also helped by the electro pop grooves of the track which give a sleek modern vibe to the song which sound light and radio friendly, almost as if she is indeed being taking over by the fear, and this also really works well with her light vocal tone, making sure that her voice is not overpowered.

4.5/5

Track 3- Not Fair

This track is a cool song that is quite silly and contrast which the more semi-serious nature of the previous number. The verses are all about Allen being happy with her relationship and the way her man treats her, but the chorus talks of his sexual laziness and how Allen doesn’t feel like she is getting anything out of relationships in the bedroom. It’s not a subject many would write about but in this case Allen plays it great and creates a fun pop song that many can identify, with the “it’s not fair” hook being a simple but effective summing up of her feelings. The guitar and overall more acoustic feel of the track with flourishes of whistling like sounds works great and contrasts well with the sleek electro production of the previous numbers, but that is not to say those songs and this don’t sound like they belong to the same album. And the vocal quality of her voice gives that sense of Allen being totally able to play both the happy in my relationship side of the song and the you are just rubbish in bed side of the song.

4.5/5

Track 4- 22

This retrospective number is another example of her artistry in that she taps into the mind set of those women in the world who haven’t gotten what they wanted to out of life like they dreamed of at 22. It’s a cute mid to up tempo number that works well in the contrasting of the lower key verses with vocal layering in the chorus that gives that sense of Allen being united with others in her observations. And the piano and drum beats give a great bob your head along feel to the song that makes you think about the message rather than just finding it wholly depressive.

3.5/5

Track 5- I Could Say

This mid to down tempo record is a nice mellow affair compared to the slightly more up tempo offerings of the previous tracks, and it is great in terms of production which feels simple light piano instrumentation and then leads into powerful synth beats that permeate the chorus and then the rest of the track. The brutal honesty of the chorus is example of pop lightness and is identifiable with many listeners, and the vocals are simple and give that sense of I’ve just moved on.

3.5/5

Track 6- Back to the Start

This up tempo number is a self confessional song about the troubles that Allen had with her sister Sarah during there childhood. And lyrically and vocally it works well in giving that sense of Allen having fully moved on from those childhood times, with the contrast of the slow verses and the fast paced chorus working well to give a sense of urgency to the song, emphasising that Allen does want to go back to the start. And the sleek electro pop production with its frenetic beats and clattering, powerful chorus gives a great energy to the track as a whole, contrasting well with the more down tempo energy of the previous song.

4/5

Track 7- Never Gonna Happen

This track opens with a Italian Rivera sounding production that marks it as slightly different than the other songs, but this dissipates within the chorus when the thumping bass kicks in, although the more traditional sounding elements remain slightly. The lyrics are a bit more straightforward and so lose the charm of previous songs, with the “da da da” moments leading into the final verse and the songs end being a bit too generic. But the vocal tone of Allen gives that light freshness too the track and that sense of she doesn’t mean to be rude but she meant it when she said it was never gonna happen.

3/5

Track 8- Fuck You

This clunky electro pop number is a fun song with an aggressive edge and a simple hook that will get into your head even if you aren’t a fan of expletives. Lyrically the song is really smart and shows Allen’s usage of observations of the world in her work, and how this really translates well in her music. And whilst the lyrics have a biting edge to them, the bouncy feeling of the track produced by the overall production of the track and the way Allen sings the song gives a lighter atmosphere to the song that has that sense of these are the problems but we are just going to get on with our lives because that’s all you can do.

4/5

Track 9- Who’d Have Known

This soft down tempo number interlopes Take That’s “Shine” but whilst that’s a big pop affair this is a more understated, softer track that is cute and has that sense of love just creeping up on you. The storytelling of the song is sweet and creates nice imagery if you let it sink in, with the “watching telly drinking wine” lyric giving that down to earth, totally relatable essence to the track. With the lightness of her voice the sweet message of the song really comes to the fore, and the piano and guitar production is really nice and simple, letting the lyrics do their magic.

3.5/5

Track 10- Chinese

Like the previous track this is another sweet number that is easy to identify with, and so because of this you might be bored with the album a little at this point considering the two songs are placed back to back. Yet this track stand out more in that its very much grounded in the little things and is even more relatable than the last track. The lyrics are great storytelling and have that sense of Allen just lived her life one day and then thought about it and then wrote the song, showing us how human she is even if she is a celebrity. And the way the track moves into a slightly higher key into the chorus is lush, giving that sense of Allen truly being in a state of love. And the production is again light and lets the lyrics really doing the work, which is great as it means the record never feels to overpowering.

4/5

Track 11- Him

This mid tempo track is a chilled out number that is philosophical and asks what would God do if he was living in the works. And the track is really great in bringing the idea of God into trivial moments as well as more serious subjects such as drug use, and brings out that idea of the world not being right but many people just not seeing the problems. But the down tempo and light feeling of the song, which is brought out through Allen’s voice and the simply steady production with it’s nice drum beat means that the song isn’t aggressive and in your face but is simply an observational track that allows you to either engage with the concept or not.

4/5

Track 12- He Wasn’t There

The closing track has an old school vibe and is perhaps a little underwhelming as a closing song but is great in just being a lyrically honest slice of pop about how a man just isn’t there in a relationship, with a old dancehall kid of production that gives nice nostalgic flavouring to the song.

3/5

Final Review

Lily Allen is just awesome, and that is a fact. She knows exactly how to use her voice, and the lyrical sharpness of this record and so refreshing when compared to the straightforward pop produced by many artists today. And whilst looking at love she also acts as a powerful voice for her generation, offering her views of the world in a great fashion that is deep but also very much pop and commercial. And the Greg Kurstin production is equally awesome, knowing exactly how tracks should sound and never overpowering the message of this track. I cannot wait for new music from Allen.

9/10