Classic Disc – Lily Allen’s ‘Alright, Still’

Producers: Iyiola Babalola, Pablo Cook, Future Cut, Greg Kurstin, Darren Lewis, Blair MacKichan, Mark Ronson, TMS
Singles: “Smile,” “LDN,” “Littlest Things,” “Alfie / Shame for You”
Release date: 13 July 2006 (USA 2007)
Label: Regal (Capitol/Empire in USA)
Catalog#: CDP 0946 3 75466 2 8 (Explicit version)

The Skinny

Alright, Still is the debut album from Myspace sensation Lily Allen, and I kinda dig her 3rd-wave ska, teen-dance-club grooves. “Smile” was the lead single, but she’s only begun with the sick burns on that track. I’m glad Ms. Allen is not my ex-GF; listen up because this is what your super-cool, witty & charming significant other will say about you when you’re exes. (I want to hear Lily read that last line…)

Sounds like

Specials, No Doubt, English Beat, Dido, Arctic Monkeys, Peter Tosh, Liz Phair, Adam Ant

Deeper Thoughts

Alright, Still will not stop until you have been charmed by its wit and ladies’-room dishing. The irony is thick and cheeky, and the potty mouth oh-so-naughty on the “explicit edition.” Lilly Allen was the poster girl for MySpace – a sexy, bitchy, plucky, relentlessly-British purveyor of London street pop. On this disc, it’s all about conversational rapping over attention-deficit backing tracks – and anyone is liable to be stabbed by the fork in her tongue. These songs will stick in your teeth like Laffy Taffy, with four charting singles: “Smile” (US #49), “LDN” (UK #6), “Littlest Things” (UK #21), and “Alfie” (UK #15).

The Sonics

Listening to this disc was not much more satisfying than the streaming, ear-bud experience. Not surprising since many of these tracks got their initial exposure streaming on MySpace. This track-based project featuring multiple producers feels like a remix collection and lacks a unified sonic character. There is a lot of variation, depending on who’s at the controls. The whole thing is pretty bubble-gum with some fun sounds and lots of winks to the sonic tradition of Jamaican reggae and ska. Tons of reverb on the guitars. Bass is a bit too punchy at times and tends to fuzz out on the ole car stereo. In fact, the record is cited in several publications as a prime offender in the “loudness wars.” The mixes are more enjoyable on headphones, because there is a lot going on here.