Review Summary: A love letter for Lily.
Dear Lily,
You have broken my heart. Again.
Over these past few years I have seen you go from boyfriend to boyfriend and pregnancy to pregnancy without you paying me even the slightest bit of attention. I have stood by you through the tragedies of miscarriages, serious illnesses and your “retirement” from music. All of this I have endured with patience and love but now it appears that you are to marry someone else.
You have broken my heart.
I suppose you’re wondering why someone like
me has fallen for a pop-princess such as yourself. I listen to hardcore. I’ve seen and read ‘Fight Club’ more times than I care to mention and I
am Jack’s burst blood vessels. I have tattoos and
had piercings until I realised that they made me look like a ***ing key ring. Hell, I even brought ‘Alright, Still’ (which is partly responsible for my unrequited affections) in a “2 for £10” offer at HMV along with Slayer’s ‘Reign in Blood’, for ***’s sake. Yet I am still totally smitten with you.
I was first introduced to you when your debut single
‘Smile’ reached the airwaves back in the warm summer of 2006 and you fascinated me. In celebrating your ex-boyfriend’s misery you struck me as being spiteful but cheeky, bratty without being a bitch and, honestly…incredibly cute. You also provided me with false hope that you might be single. Your breezy vocals were just as cute, sweet without being sugary, and they beautifully complimented the upbeat ska horns and reggae feel.
I bet we could have a great time together having a few spliffs, listening to ‘Legend’…
Reggae influences show up several times throughout ‘Alright, Still’ – the understated organs and lively bass line working its way through
‘Friend Of Mine’, the ska rhythms in your ode to city life,
‘LDN – and these tracks portray you as an intelligent songwriter. Across the album you incorporate several other genres into your primarily pop-based sound: Britpop in the uplifting
‘Take What You Take,
‘The Littlest Things’ is a touchingly fragile R&B ballad and the synths in
‘Everything’s Just Wonderful’ drolly mimic ‘elevator music’. What I’m trying to say is that you tackle many different genres and make them your own by uniting them around common traits: your biting, yet endearing wit and your candid, lovable personality.
As I said before, in ‘Smile’ you introduced yourself as cheeky, crude (“When you first left me I was wanting more/But you were ***ing that girl next door…”) and vindictive, and these strangely charming aspects of your personality certainly pop up elsewhere. The mocking of a former boyfriend’s
size or rather, lack of, in the reggae-tinged
‘Not Big’ was endearingly comical - though with me being 5’ 6” and white, it was also a little worrying. Never fear though because you also frequently showed other sides of your personality which at times are sweet, fragile and just utterly adorable. In
‘The Littlest Things’ you sweetly reminisce about a broken relationship with a childlike innocence; album closer
‘Alfie is a tongue-in –cheek ode to your pot-smoking brother while in
‘Take What You Take’ you offer some overly-simplistic advice - but I’ll forgive you this ‘cos you’re cute.
Overall, ‘Alright, Still’ did a lot to help you in winning my affections – though being so goddamned sexy also greatly aided this. On your debut album you showed me that you are a dexterous song writer capable of triumphing in a multitude of genres and styles by putting your strong, lovable personality at the forefront. Cheeky, bratty, loving, spiteful, sweet, witty… you are all those things and more. ‘Alright, Still’ made me fall for a girl that I can never have. Lily Allen broke my heart.
Sorrowfully yours,
Craigy
