Alright, Still - Dark Publications

Location: Home » music » General » Alright, Still

Similar Items:

•	Back to Black
•	The Reminder
•	Begin to Hope
•	Wincing the Night Away
•	Made of Bricks

Editorial Reviews:

From Amazon.co.uk
Being, as she is, the daughter of prominent British actor Keith Allen, the cynics could easily dismiss the rise of Lily Allen as an act of backroom nepotism, a talent-free starlet helped to the stage by the right connections. But one listen to her debut album Alright, Still dispels any doubts about young Ms. Allen's star quality. Possessed of a feisty wit and taste for urban storytelling that should see her compared to Mike "The Streets" Skinner, these 11 tracks of sunshine-friendly reggae-pop cover topics including frustrating potential closing-time suitors ("Knock 'Em Out"), being happy when your ex is having a bad time ("Smile"), and having a little brother who likes a bit of a smoke--and not just of the tobacco variety ("Alfie"). Wisely, however, Allen doesn't let the grittiness of the subject matter tarnish the golden pop suss of the songs, a suite of gleaming productions by names including Mark Ronson and Gwen Stefani collaborator Greg Kurstin that take inspiration from the lighter end of reggae and vintage rocksteady. Doubtless some corners of the press will pillory her as a poor role model, but there's an engaging honesty to the likes of "LDN"--a love song to a city filled with teenage muggers, pimps, and crack whores, narrated by someone who's cycling because "the filth took away my license." Like father, like daughter. --Louis Pattison

Album Description
Japanese version of her debut album includes two bonus tracks, 'Cheryl Tweedy' and 'Absolutely Nothing'. Debut album by this critically adored British female pop vocalist. 13 tracks including the single 'Smile'. It's been a whirlwind couple of months for Lily Allen. After signing a low key deal with Regal, late last year, no one could have predicted how quickly she'd make an impression on the nation. Lily, like many artists, started posting tracks on her Myspace site in November 2005, so she could gauge what people thought. The response has been phenomenal. Listens on her Myspace site now are staggering, over 2 million and rising. The support from the press, radio and TV has been fantastic. She is already a 'red top' favorite with her honesty and sharp tongue, but also has fans across the digital world and within cult publications. Regal. 2006.

Customer Reviews: Read 105 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

MY 800th REVIEW! WHEE!!! April 25, 2007
18 out of 33 found this review helpful

When I first heard that Lily Allen was going to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, I was like, "Who is THAT?" Then I read up on her and, well, I don't know what kind of trend she's trying to set, but she seems to spend a great deal of time dissing other artists for no reason. Maybe it's just to make headlines or something, but whatever the case, her debut album Alright, Still shows that snooty people can make good albums.

With her lyrics, Lily has a creative way of being funny and direct, as shown on tracks like "Smile" and "Shame For You". And there are other good selections like "Littlest Things", "Friday Night" and "Friend of Mine". But my favorite song is the necessary tribute to your hometown, "LDN" (London).

Lily also tries her hand at rapping on here, and she really doesn't sound that bad; still, in the otherwise good "Knock `Em Out" (where she tries to avoid unworthy guys in the club), her excuses for not talking to the guys get a little extreme at the end of the song. And "Nan You're a Window Shopper", a parody of 50 Cent's "Window Shopper", is hard to get into. "Take What You Take" doesn't really go anywhere; and sorry, but "Not Big" is pretty childish.

Alright, Still remains a very above-average album, though. One usually doesn't find music that's so brutally honest and entertaining at the same time, so give it a spin.

Anthony Rupert

4 out of 5 stars

It makes you feel like you're in a conversation with your best mate ! March 2, 2007
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

After the hyped release of "Smile", Lily Allen emerges in the music scene with an album to be remembered as one of the best debuts ever in British pop music.

"Alright Still" features some of the songs Lily has uploaded in her MySpace page, giving her the credit of being one the first mainstream acts to make use of social networking.
In a 37 minute album, the singer mixes pop, indie, ska, reggae and hip hop in songs with great potential to become singles.

Besides catchy and bitchy "Smile", highlights in "Alright Still" include the MySpace hit "LDN", whose lyrics and video are dedicated to London, "Alfie" lyrically funny and genious (inspired in her real little brother Alfie), the informal bizarre "Knock 'Em Out", which features lyrics that were used as the title of the album.

Lyrically Lily proves to be a contemporary poet, mixing meaningful messages with stupid jokes and informal slangs.

1 out of 5 stars

Don't Get It! February 1, 2007
13 out of 39 found this review helpful

I'm always looking for fresh and unique non top 40 artists but I don't see what is the deal with her. She has an ok voice but not my thing.

2 out of 5 stars

Don't Believe the Hype May 3, 2007
12 out of 17 found this review helpful

I desperately want England to regain it's musical crown in the U.S. Oh, save us, please, from our brain-dead condition once again! Worthwhile things are happening there, but unfortunately, the "New Musical Express" and the other usual suspects have been more of a hindrance than a help over the last couple of decades or so, pumping up one Great White Hope after another, only to see them deflate and fall out of view.

So now we have a couple of foul-mouthed extended-adolescents named Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen to put to the test, and let's just say that they never flub an opportunity to smooch the hooch and kiss and tell -- and trash anyone they fancy, seeing as how like drunks everywhere, they have to endure an endless stream of slights, disappointments and problems that are the fault of anyone but themselves.

But this is Allen's album, so focus. "Not Big" is the rashest of the put-down songs here, with lines like, "Alright, how would it make you feel if I said you never ever made me come?","As if that weren't enough to deal with, you became premature.", and "You're not big, you're not clever, no, you ain't a big brother". Surprisingly, none of this has anything to do with her liquid diet. How much could she really feel, anyway? Worse yet, in "Alfie," she lectures her own kid brother about doing nothing but sitting in his room smoking weed, and asks, "Now how the hell do you ever expect that you'll get laid, when all you do is stay and play on your computer games?" And you know, telling this to the whole world just might work, too. Then again, I shudder to think of the ways in which it might not.

I won't go ape over the debut album of an artist who looks increasingly like she might not be healthy enough to make another, in which case we'd have to put up with lot's of nonsense about she would have been one of the all-time greats. Or maybe she'd manage to pull it all together and they'd make one of those silly VH1 bios on her, telling us how she's got a great new record contract and wants to adopt some poor kid from Somalia. And you, dear people, will have to decide which is worse.

3 out of 5 stars

Sweet & Salty January 30, 2007
9 out of 29 found this review helpful

Lily Allen's Alright, Still is a highly listenable debut album. The British singer juxtaposes bright sunny sounds with vindictive (although done with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek) lyrics. The song "Smile" stands out head and shoulders from the rest of the album. It is pure musical cotton candy, but a great single that has an extra catchy chorus about how seeing her ex-boyfriend cry makes her smile and a finger snapping beat. The rest of the album is made up of similar ex-boyfriend put downs, but none as catchy as "Smile".

Powered by Associate-O-Matic