Lily Allen - Alright Still > Reviews > Kiss With A Fist

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	An upbeat and funky pop masterclass, winningly sung
Disadvantages:	Overblown at times, and eminently disposable

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It would be easy to say that Lily Allen was the first person to become famous through Myspace, that the way she build up an internet following meant that she had a fanbase who could support her once she moved from the world of demos to recording an album. That her wilful personality and sharp-tongued take on modern life is what defines her as a person and makes her so popular. That she is, in fact, a cult of personality which completely overshadows any music she makes. She is Lily Allen, an outspoken critic of modern celebrity culture who hates men and likes writing cheap pop songs where she over-inflates her cockney accent and criticises anyone she doesn't like. Apparently. It's very easy to make these assumptions, and to come to a conclusion on her music before you ever hear the chirpy trumpet sirens of "LDN" or the venomous backlash of "Smile". It's easy to make all these assumptions, but the annoying fact is that despite them all being true to some extent, the album itself is so entertaining you can't help but forget everything that you thought you knew about the girl. Alright, Still just so happens to be the very model of a big summer album, filled with witty, winning pop songs that evoke reggae and calypso themes on top of big band numbers and swirly synthy tracks, mixed in with some knee-slapping bar singalongs and camp anthems. Essentially, you have an entire mix of songs for the discerning female listener.

Allen's verbose style of nattering takes the fore on several of the songs, making her music out in the same territory as that of Mike 'The Streets' Skinner, but yet spinning a more feminine angle on his boozy clubbing sagas. On "Knock 'em Out", she talks her way through the song, discussing the finer annoyances of being hit on by drunk people who you don't fancy. It's almost a duet of sorts, with Allen mixing and matching with another guy, taking it in turns to play the drunk or the victim. A honky-tonk sort of piano (I have no idea what honky-tonk actually means) plays and gives the song a feel like a western, while the equally compelling "Alfie" samples Sandie Shaw and gets away with it, as Allen liltingly laments her brother's varying issues. "I only say it cos I care/so please can you stop pulling me hair?" she asks in a light, floating voice which playfully works round the upbeat tone of the music behind her. Both songs are entertaining, but the novelty value does fade a little after a while. This is the problem with any sort of music which revolves around storytelling and characters - eventually, the stories will grow a bit tiresome. But, in this case, not too much.

The music - well put-together by a range of producers - is consistently a reason to keep on listening once Allen's words have started to lose their grip. "Everything's Just Wonderful" is one of those popcorn and confetti pop sounds that Annie might have put together, Allen moaning about various things that annoy her while elevator music and cheesy keyboards have fun around her, and a xylophone plays a little ditty overhead. There are few times when the music drops from anything less than fun, with only Mark Ronson's "Littlest Things" spoiling the mixture a little with a heavy-handed 1950's detective fiction piano dominating proceedings. Yes, that was convoluted, and I appreciate your concern - I'm fine, though. Allen has a very pretty little voice when she wants to, though, and her voice barely dips an octave as she sings about lost love. She pulls out the works for "Friend Of Mine" too, her reggae bass-line joining a chugging guitar as she goes into the high notes with relish, sounding like a sweeter-voiced Jem as she goes. It's a struggle trying to find a singer to compare her to, because she doesn't particularly sound like anyone else. And when she does sound like someone, well… she changes her style completely from song to song anyway. So Jem is the best comparison you'll get, sorry.

"Smile" has been a little defaced after endless shunting by every radio station and TV channel known to man, but still has a little kick as it does a kiss-off shimmy. You can see here the debt Allen owes perhaps the biggest single influence on the album - Squeeze. She gets the singing style and delivery straight from Difford and Tilbrook's lot, and "Smile" serves as a continuation of the very style of music they pioneered. "LDN" is even better, a seemingly invulnerable slice of calypso-based pop centring on a sampled brass riff taken from Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. A seemingly gentle song, it relies on the time-tested 'upbeat music, downbeat lyrics' school of song production, making the verses far more lyrically annoying than the chorus, which is sunny as anything. Allen flips from a scat singing style to a more poppy air between the two, demonstrating the versatility in her voice. It's a shame that this cannot save the two tracks "Take What You Take" and "Shame For You", which would have been certain hits if put in the hands of someone like Candie Payne, but instead are highly overshadowed when put against the other songs on the album. Not to say they aren't fun in their own right, but the whole vibe of the album grows a bit tiring after a while, and they just happen to appear at points in the album where you want to music to calm down a bit.

The overpowering pop works to elevate the jokey "Friday Night" more than the sum of a few disparate pieces, however, as a dark bass-beat sits alongside a lone trumpet in much the style of The Specials. With just the lyrics alone, a series of pot-shots at women in clubs ("don't try and test me 'cos you'll get a reaction/another drink and I'm ready for action" she warns) the song wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny, but the music backing her embodies the world of the song and takes the piss out of it at the same time, in a way what probably makes Jarvis Cocker smile a little. Whenever Allen's lyrics fall short, the music picks her up, and vice-versa, strengthening her album for her. And on "Not Big", she goes straight for the jugular, attacking the ex-boyfriend as a ska-beat tags along as her sidekick. There's a thump in the beat which Allen moulds her words around, structuring the song so her words echo the melody as the chorus slowly builds up. If there is any song which marries her lyrical awareness with an ear for a decent melody, it's this one.

Oh, uh, Mockney. I should probably mention that some of the voices she uses are cockney, so if you hate Londoners (and I'm right with you, brothers and sisters) you might want to skip. She swears on-and-off too, but there's nothing wrong with putting a little 'fuck'-ing into your work. All in all, 'Alright, Still' shows that there's life in pop music yet, and Allen stamps herself all over her debut. Personality overshadows ability nowadays, so it's a good thing Allen has enough of the latter to justify the former. A cracking album.