Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
What makes Lily Allen’s second album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, so damn compelling is not her small, sweet voice or the poppy, bouncy productions but her swag and her storytelling skills. Seriously, who could make a chorus out of “Fuck you, fuck you very very much” as a snub to Bush and still sounds so adorable?
With producer Greg Kurstin lays down the catchy beats, Allen focuses on getting her words out on subjects including sex (or lack of), God, drugs and getting old (say, 30). On “The Fear,” Allen is cleverly wrapped her words underneath the club production, but her message still shines through: “Life’s about film stars and less about mothers / It’s all about fast cars and passing each other / But it doesn’t matter cause I’m packing plastic / And that’s what makes my life so fucking fantastic.”
“Not Fair” is ridiculous addictive. The beat is perfect soundtrack for a Quentin Tarantino’s film and the story about a good guy who sucks in bed is simply hilarious. “Oh, I lie here in the wet patch / In the middle of the bed / I’m feeling pretty damn hard done by / I spent ages giving head,” complains Allen. And that is her “weapon of mass consumption.” She makes you feel sorry for her even though it’s not the bloke’s fault that he can’t make her scream.