Artist: Lily Allen
Album: It’s Not Me, It’s You
Genre: Electropop/Alternative
Label: Capitol/Parlophone

London, England’s own Myspace success, Lily Allen, is back with her second released studio album entitled It’s Not Me, It’s You. Just two years after releasing her reggae influenced lead single, “Smile,” Allen brings even more experimental taste that is either sweet or sour depending on the taste buds of the listener.

From this release, we can gather that the topless tabloid star can structure an album where ultimately every song has its own unique genre and style. A formulated risk taken on her debut platinum album Alright, Still was used once more for her 2009 release that possibly could yield the same record sale results.

Allen’s “Not Fair,” the second released single from her sophomore effort, has to be the album’s highest point. A spaghetti western influenced melody laid over quick and up-tempo drums provide the scenery for Allen to inform her listeners that her boyfriend cannot hang on for the full eight seconds. As she displays her most subjective lyrics, Lily croons over the fact that it’s not fair her man treats her with respect, calls her fifteen times a day, and makes sure she is fine—but is also terrible in bed.
With a wide variety of radio ready tracks from It’s Not Me that reflect on her personal relationships and attitudes, Lily continues to focus her music on her own original and experimental style. The polka heart felt song “Never Gonna Happen” and the needy companionship tune “Chinese” help carry the album to the end and provide the listener with strong replay value.

Despite only showcasing the same narrow range of vocal pitches throughout the album, Lily Allen smashes another home run out of the ballpark with only her second time at bat. The use of distinctive electronic sounds and untraditional instruments leave the listener engaged and wanting more while Allen tells her love/hate relationship stories without sugarcoating anything! If you’re looking for a new, inspirational, and solid release, pick up It’s Not Me, It’s You and relish in the creativity and replay value that is hard to come by in today’s commercial music world.

*Written By: Brandon Folsom*
Score: 7.5/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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