Well, hasn't our little Lily Allen grown up a bit over the past few years? Whilst her second album contains all of her venomous working class wit, and vociferous understanding of modern culture, yet it also reveals a softer, kinder Lily who's no longer completely immature and angry about absolutely everything.
The first song is Everyone's At It, where Allen rips into everyone for not paying attention to the drug culture we've created, and everyone from users to parents to politicians refusing to accept responsibility. The Fear is all about our obsession with celebrity, and mostly Allen's celebrity. Back to the Start is about mending relationships, as is He's Not There, where Allen forgives her absent father, saying such stuff as "I'm so pleased I never gave up on him, oh you wouldn't believe some of the things he did".
22 is about a girl who parties through the 20s and finds her future unpromising unless she gets a man and settles down. Who'd Have Known and Chinese are actual love songs, insomuch as she's singing about enjoying being with an individual. She's even singing about God with the song Him, wondering what he thinks of all this. All of these songs contain deep lyrics and motives suitable to a Bob Dylan type song, but are wrapped up in such amazing bubblegum pop, and I'm just not sure if it's sublime or ridiculous.
But then Allen drops her smarts with Not Fair, a whiney number about her man not being good in bed, and Never Gonna Happen about dumping a guy who just keeps hanging on. Yeah yeah, we get it; all men are pricks, whatever. And Fuck You is a happy little sing-along aimed at George Bush, who she calls evil, racist, homophobic and dumb. And whilst that may be true, she could have said it a little more intelligently.
It's Not Me It's You is a great second album, showing however unlikely, Lily Allen has staying power. If you've never liked her accent and overall vibe you're not going to really get into this either, but the music is poppy and fun, her voice still melodic yet brash, and it's just an enjoyable album.
3 Stars
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