Lily Allen Knocks ‘Em Out!

On “Not Big” (yes, she does mean in that way) Allen confronts a bad boyfriend and threatens him with, “Yeah, you really must think you’re great/Let’s see how you feel in a couple of weeks/When I work my way through your mates.” She further berates him by reminding him, “Yeah let’s rewind, let’s turn back time to when you couldn’t get it up/You know what?/It should have ended there/That’s when I should have shown you the door/If that weren’t enough to deal with/You became premature.”

“Friday Night” describes a typical evening out in a club filled with obnoxious, boozy crowds and attention-craving, feisty ladies. An encounter with a competitive, belligerent female partier elicits the response: “Looked me up and down/I don’t make a sound/There’s a lesson that I want you to learn/If you’re gonna play with fire then you’re gonna get burned.” Allen’s not one to take snubs lightly, “Don’t try and test me cos you’ll get a reaction/Another drink and I’m ready for action.”

“Shame for You” is slightly reminiscent of Fiona Apple, with its thudding piano and Allen’s talk-singing jabs at another cheating lover. “Littlest Things” is a ballad about a love lost that Allen sincerely mourns as she recalls the good times, “And I remember when you started calling me your missus/All the play fighting, all the flirtatious disses,” along with “drinking tea in bed,” watching DVDs and going shopping together. Allen sadly laments, “Dreams, dreams/Of when we had just started things/Dreams of you and me/It seems, it seems/That I can’t shake those memories/I wonder if you have the same dreams too.” On the album closer, “Alfie,” Allen offers advice nursery-rhyme style to her slacker, stoner, little brother.

Listeners will either love or hate Lily Allen. Men may not like her brash rants against their kin, while young girls will probably love her grrrl power and cute style. While Allen undoubtedly has sass and spunk, will it be enough to make her a star in the States?

Photo: Chris Floyd