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.

NEW LILY ALLEN SONG: SHEEZUS

Lily Allen, as everyone knows, pulls no punches. Her new song, the hip-hop inspired title track from her upcoming 3rd full album Sheezus, finds Lily claiming the diva crown from Katy, Gaga, Lorde, Beyonce and beyond. Of course, Lils is always a little tongue-in-cheek, so take it for what it is. The chorus is a veritable who's who of female pop stars, "Ri-Ri isn't scared of Katy Perry's roaring, Queen Bey's gone back to the drawing/Lorde smells blood yeah, she's about to slay you, Kid ain't one to f--k with when she's only on her debut/ We're all watching Gaga, LOL haha, dying for the art so really she's a martyr." Heehee. I love Lily. It's all in good fun. She tells MTV, "It's kind of ridiculous because I name-check Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lorde, and I don't think that I could even possibly take one tiny diamond off of any of their crowns," she explained. "The idea of the song is the ridiculousness that there even is a Sheezus." The video is a psychedelic romp with lots of bright colored graphics. Anyway, enjoy the video below. Sheezus, the album, is out May 6th in the US and May 5th in the UK.

LILY ALLEN RELEASED LYRIC VIDEO FOR L8 CMMR. MAKES MY LIFE

My fave of her new songs, L8 CMMR, which will be on her upcoming album Sheezus and is featured on the soundtrack Girls Vol. 2: All Adventurous Women Do, is one of the catchiest songs I've head in a long time. I am ashamed to say that I totally missed the release of its lyric video late last month, but fear not, I am sharing it with you now. It's really as good as any official video could be, especially for those of us who BARELY remember classic 80s video games like Super Mario Brothers. Very creative and amazingly fun. Watch as the 8-bit Lily runs over the lyrics, races a car and wins her man. YAAAAAAAS! Obsessed with this song. Enjoy. Also pre-order Lily's album Sheezus on iTunes like yesterday! DO IT!

LILY ALLEN THINKS HER EXCELLENT NEW SINGLES ARE "RUBBISH"

Lily Allen is never one to hide her true feelings so when a fan called her new singles "docile pop rubbish", Lily spoke her mind and AGREED! WHAT? Nonsense. Lily, I'm afraid, historically does not have a very high opinion of herself, but this has gone to far. Granted, I might be a little biased because I love Lily, but I have really enjoyed all of her new music and I'm going to defend it. I think Hard Out Here is classic, biting Lily. Air Balloon is her sweet side. L8 CMMR is pure, sassy joy and Our Time is a great party-with-your-pals anthem. I WILL keep the faith, Lily. Below is the beginning of the conversation with that evil, doubtful hater fan on twitter and then what they said after and the new videos for the songs released so far from Sheezus:

@RFWilding what you've heard so far yes. All i can do is do my best, the labels and the radio stations won't play the better stuff.
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) March 10, 2014

@lilyallen Fair play, still gonna buy Sheezus see what the rest offers. I have faith! Chinese is one of my favourite songs of all time.
— Reg Wilding (@RFWilding) March 10, 2014

@RFWilding keep the faith
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) March 10, 2014

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NEW LILY ALLEN: OUR TIME. RELEASE DATE FOR SHEEZUS ANNOUNCED.

Lily Allen has a new song and video out!!! Our Time takes our girl back to her bad girl days. Lily plays several versions of herself out on the town, smoking, drinking, throwing up and getting in fights, all set to a very lovely tune. Oh, the irony. Another great track from what promises to be a standout album for 2014. So glad Lily is back. Oh, also Sheezus, Lily's third studio album, has set a release date!!! May 5th. You can pre-order on iTunes now! The tracklist for Sheezus is below.
Sheezus
L8 CMMR
Air Balloon
Our Time
Insincerely Yous
Take My Place
As Long As I Got You
URL Badman
Silver Spoon
The Life For Me
Hard Out Here

LILY ALLEN ANNOUNCES NAME OF NEW ALBUM: SHEEZUS

Is it a nod to Kanye or a jab at Kanye? I would prefer to think it was a jab, and knowing Lily, I bet it sorta is. Lily Allen revealed the name of her upcoming third studio album on the Graham Norton Show in the UK yesterday and it is....drum roll, please.....SHEEZUS. Lily explained, "It's a confident title choice....and a little nod to Kanye West." Kanye's last album is, of course, named Yeezus. Heehee. He has such a great sense of humor about things too. NOT! Maybe the name Sheezus explains the floating crucifix at the end of the air balloon video. Perhaps in not Jesus but Sheezus on that cross!! I am loving all of Lily's new music. First single, the amazing Hard Out Here, second single, the infectious Air Balloon (video below) and her song from the Girls, Vol. 2 soundtrack, the fantastic L8 CMMR will all be included on Sheezus. No release date has been announced for the album as of yet.