REVIEW: LILY ALLEN - SHEEZUS

Lily Allen has two full length albums under her belt; 2006's Alright Still and 2009's It's No Me, It's You. Though the sound changes, one thing remains: Lily's biting wit and clever lyrics. Allen's newest effort, Sheezus, does not disappoint on that front. Instead of the retro-kitsch of her debut or the electronic-influenced follow up, this time Lily delivers a (mostly) hip-hop inspired album (thus the name riffing on Kanye's Yeezus) full of shimmering gems just in time for summer. Of course, we have had plenty of build up with the release of the hard-hitting satire on Hard Out Here last November and the airy charm of Air Balloon in January, both of which hit the top 10 in her native UK. As bright and fun as those two singles are, they are just the tip of the iceberg on Sheezus. Insincerely Yours in particular is a standout track with it's sort-of-sampling of Michael McDonald's I Keep Forgetting (it doesn't, but does it?) the biting lyrics are all sass and stank. "Let's be clear, I'm here to make money, money, money" Lily croons over the smooth beat. L8 CMMR, which was featured on the Girls soundtrack this season, is probably the most romantic, happy song to ever contain the words "motherfucker" and is my favorite track on the album. Sheezus is not ALL hip hop though, much like the country-tinged It's Not Fair on It's Not Me, It's You, As Long as I Got You swerves off the theme of the music and delivers a zydeco number with aplomb. Lily's softer side comes out as well on tracks like the pensive Take My Place, the sexy Close Your Eyes and Life For Me. But of course, it being Lily, the album still has the brutal Hard Out Here and the fuck you of Wind Your Neck In to remind us of the amazingly sarcastic social commentary that Lils does so well. Sheezus delivers on everything you expect from a Lily Allen album and then some. The maturity of a mother is new on this album and Lily has grown lyrically and musically from her 2009 self. Enjoy the vids below! Sheezus is available on iTunes today.