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| "Sheezus", out May 5, 2014 |
Lily Allen is back! She once claimed that she had retired from the music business to focus on her family life, but when music is your passion there isn't much you can do, you will always go back to it. Two years ago she announced she was back in the studio and that she was just having some fun, and if anything good came out of those recording sessions then she would have released a new album.
Lily's debut, "Alright, Still", was released in 2006 and it was a good way to introduce us to this new, fresh, quirky, funny singer/songwriter.
She cemented her success in 2009 with her second album, "It's Not Me, It's You", which spawned hits such as "The Fear" and "Not Fair". That second album was absolutely brilliant, and it contained little pop masterpieces like "Him", "I Could Say" and "Everyone's At It". Lily's voice had never sounded better and her songwriting was absolutely on point. The melodies were sweet, catchy and the production was top-notch.
Now that she's back with "Sheezus", her third studio album, I am a little scared because what I've heard from the album so far just isn't half as good as what Lily is capable of.
She has released five singles in five months. Either the record company isn't very confident or this is just a way to make people hear as much from the album as possible before it is officially released.
"Hard Out Here", the album's lead single, which is also the last track on the standard edition of the record, was released last November and it was met with critical acclaim, particularly for its feminist themes. Pop beats, autotune and a catchy chorus made for a fun if slightly weak comeback single. According to Lily, the video was "a lighthearted satirical look at objectification of women in modern pop music".
The second single, "Air Balloon", was a departure from the lead single's sound, and it was definitely more reminiscent of Lily's earlier hits such as "Fuck You" and "LDN", although the song sounds like it could've been released by M.I.A. a few years ago. It is in fact very similar to "Paper Planes". Lily actually even looks like M.I.A. in the music video for the song. Lily sings: "When I'm bored I kinda drift away" as she relaxes in a safari field in Cape Town with zebras and monkeys.
"Sheezus" is the single that got people talking the most. In the song, Lily references Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Lorde and Rihanna. While everyone thought she was dissing all these pop ladies, Lily cleared things up with Rolling Stone. Read all about it HERE. She also wanted this song to be a single but the record company was against the idea because it isn't up-tempo enough and "radio won't play the better stuff", so they made her release "Air Balloon", which Lily described as "docile pop". The song also contains the word "period", which, for some reason, some people find offensive.
"Insincerely Yours" and "Take My Place" both remind me of her UK #1 hit "The Fear", but for different reasons. "Insincerely Yours" is lyrically close to Lily's 2009 hit, as it talks about tabloid nonsense and people who are famous for being famous. "Take My Place" is a big number that is musically similar to "The Fear" and just sounds really, really good. Best song on the album so far.
Sadly, the best moment on the album is followed by what must be the most hideous-sounding Lily Allen song ever. "As Long As I Got You" is a fast-paced country number that just doesn't seem to fit on the record. Sure, it's fun, but Lily knows how to make fun sound good, and she kinda failed on this one.
"I don't like girls much, they're kinda silly, unless of course they wanna play with my willy" is one of the best lines on the album. Lily sings it on "URL Badman", a geeky electronic song during which she takes on the Internet, gets all worked up and name-checks Wordpress and Blogger. This one follows an extremely relaxing, chilled out number, "Close Your Eyes", which, much like "Our Time", is naughty and cool in equal measure.
Lily Allen goes back to rapping on "Silver Spoon", and this time it sounds better than it does on "Sheezus". The hip-hop beat wouldn't sound out of place on a Rihanna album. Lily sings about coming from money and having grown up in a Georgian house. But she still considers herself as humble and insists we have no idea where she comes from nor what she is really like. A very honest track and one of the highlights of the album.
While this may be Lily's most mature album yet, it definitely isn't her best. "It's Not Me, It's You" will be hard to top, but at least "Sheezus" can fight it out with "Alright, Still".
My score: 7/10
Buy the album here:
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