London calling.Alright, Still * Lily Allen * Capitol If you haven't heard the buzz about Lily Allen yet, one can only assume you're still living in the dark ages of DOS prompts and dial-up. Since she started posting songs on her MySpace page in November 2005, the 21-year-old Londoner has racked up over 5 million listens. Her first single, "Smile," ruled U.K. airwaves last year, while the debut album, Alright, Still, entered the charts at number 2. So what's all the fuss about? Plenty, as American record buyers can now finally discover. Allen knows exactly what makes a song catchy, and she ensures that nearly every cut on the vibrant Alright, Still is sing-along ready. Her arrangements are distinctly 21st-century compositions, borrowing the shiniest bits and pieces from various genres. Its predominant bouncy reggae rhythms Reggae Rhythms is a Reggae radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 97 and Dish Network channel 6097. Reggae Rhythms moved from channel 32 to its current location on February 14, 2007. and skanking brass will appeal to the No Doubt set, but there's also jacked-up EZ listening like the delightful "Everything, s Just Wonderful" (and, no, it isn't), as well as soft rock and lurching jazz. But Allen's hyperliterate lyricism lyr·i·cism n. 1. a. The character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts. b. The quality or state of being melodious; melodiousness. 2. is the corker cork·er n. 1. One that corks bottles, for example. 2. Slang A remarkable or astounding person or thing. corker Noun Old-fashioned slang . Her rhymes rival those of Eminem, Morrissey, or Cole Porter/stringing together "weight loss" with "Kate Moss" is just one of dozens of smile-inducers). She articulates the ever-shifting mix of skepticism and hope that characterizes young adulthood through a concise, vicious, and distinctly feminine wit--think a more focused Nellie McKay minus the Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley Genre of U.S. popular music that arose in New York in the late 19th century. The name was coined by the songwriter Monroe Rosenfeld as the byname of the street on which the industry was based—28th Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway in the early nostalgia, or, better yet, think the late Kirsty MacColl. Most of the 11 originals here sublimely intertwine the bitter and the sweet, and Allen delivers them in a voice that can flip mid-phrase from a twittering twit·ter v. twit·tered, twit·ter·ing, twit·ters v.intr. 1. To utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds; chirrup. 2. a. trill trill, in music, ornament consisting of the more or less rapid alternation of two adjacent notes. Indicated by any of several conventional symbols, it varies in speed and duration and in the manner of its beginning and ending according to context. to a sharp-edged sneer. The relatively straightforward breakup reminiscence rem·i·nis·cence n. 1. The act or process of recollecting past experiences or events. 2. An experience or event recollected: "Her mind seemed wholly taken up with reminiscences of past gaiety" "Littlest Things" softens her up just enough, but she's at her best when facing down anyone who gets in her way, be they social phonies ("Friend of Mine"), mean-spirited door people ("Friday Night"), or exboyfriends who are, ahem, ill-equipped ("Not Big"). Lily Allen isn't a lass you'd want to meet in a dark alley, but it's a pleasure to make her acquaintance. |
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