Well, the backlash has already begun and her album hasn't been out a week. There seems to be a plethora of reviews that slate poor Lily, often based on the fact that a) she's got a famous father, b) her myspace "campaign" was no more organic than Sandi Thom's "Tooting Basement" series of gigs and c) her storytelling style can't possibly be feted when she's so obviously middle class and hasn't really lived the life she portrays. Well a) we can't hold that against her, even if the father in question is a bit of a pratt, b) so what? and c) well no-one lambasts Mike Skinner for being middle class do they?
But you see, I didn't hate "Smile...It Confuses People" because of the hype; I hated it because the hype was proved to be totally unwarented. She could be the devil incarnate and I would still like her if she had the tunes. But the whole Sandi Thom "thing" died the moment you realise the tunes are rubbish.
Thankfully, Lily Allen does have the tunes (although we knew that already) and she's enough for an album full. Her intention was to deliver an album where every song could be a single and to be fair she's not far off. Smile deservedly cracked the number one spot, and LDN probably would have done the same thing if it hadn't been a limited release. Still the two singles are by no means the only high spots. Friday Night mimmicks the Specials to great effect, Knock 'Em Out is even funnier than Smile and just when you think it's all wisecracks and drunk nights out, The Littlest Things is a sorrowful break-up tune that anyone who's struggled to get over an ex will identify with.
True, its not quite all perfect; if the sublime Nan You're A Window Shopper had gotten the sample clearance and replaced the plodding and dull Take What You Take, we really would have had an across the board winner. But only one real duff track on such a highly hyped record? You can't beat that these days can you?
And for the second album in a row a gripe about the Mercury awards. Seemingly Lily was considered but certain critics (such as Lauren Laverne) claimed "she doesn't really mean it, isn't very committed as a performer." That would be the Lauren Laverne who loved her music career so much that she jacked it in to become a TV presenter....but again, they were never really going to nominate a pop record by a woman were they? Because whilst we have to have the token jazz/classical/record that won't sell very many in the list, pop just doesn't cut it with the Mercury's does it?
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