Customer Reviews

It's Not Me, It's You (Special Edition) (CD/DVD) (PAL/Pressing)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I really disliked Lily's debut CD as I found it too cutesy for my own liking, and it was even more bewildering when publications like Spin and Blender started giving her four star reviews - it just didn't make sense. But recently, during a first spin of "The Fear", it was evident that the songstress has a certain something that transcends genre and musical definition, and curious as I was, I made it a point to pick up this album.

There are a couple of things to remember while listening to Lily Allen. She is not really a 'singer' in the true sense of the word. She sort of lazily recites words, almost reading them off a page, but her quaint intonation gives them great depth (I am reminded here of Nellie McKay and her epic double-CD "Get Away from Me"). She has this very British quality that brings to mind Leona Naess, and to a lesser extent Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes.

But its on the melodies and the lyrics that Lily really shines. Her own little view of the world, and primarily of her own self-worth is brought out beautifully through the course of the album - which also works as a 'concept' album in many ways. "The Fear" refers to various things - one could relate the lyrics to consumerism and politics and it would still make sense - but she brings down the house with her quiet burner "Chinese", which is essentially about staying in and eating food, but she spins it as some sort of allegorical tale.

What I especially respect about this album and its production is the fact that you can hear Lily enunciate every word clearly, rendering a lyrics sheet redundant. This is especially rare. The only other performer like this is Fiona Apple, and to a lesser extent Suzanne Vega, but Lily is clearly master of the medium. How great to listen to a song and 'get' every word. A rarity in this day and age of overproduced albums.

This CD is testament that though the UK can produce some truly mass-market nonsense, such as Leona Lewis or Westlife, they can also churn out some truly innovative and groundbreaking artists such as Lily Allen. The only comparable act to her right now in Britain is Girls Aloud, and thats a mighty tall compliment.

An intelligent, beautiful and thought-provoking album.

Four Stars.

Lily Allen is not just a pampered, all-drinking, all-blogging celebrity brat made good, but an actual singer with distinctive vocals, cwhose fame is deserved. Happily, her songs still sound as though they were written under the influence of a truth serum. Like her debut "Alright, Still", its successor "It's Not Me,It's You" serves up tuneful veracity.
The opener "Everyone's At It", all set to a suitably addictive synthetic pop tune, uncannily foreshadows the drama that has already surrounded it, a pounding piano and operatic "Ah's" resonate before she chimes in with her straight talk, about drug-taking, legal and illegal: drugs are bad, don't take them...although "the kids are in danger" is hardly the most insightful lyric on the subject.
More sincere sounds "The Fear", her agreeably potty-mouthed comeback single, an electropop polemic against celebrity culture which has just topped the UK singles charts.
The track is even friendlier to American ears than the singles from "Alright, Still", thus Lily could follow Leona Lewis and Coldplay into the Billboard top ten.
For the most part, the album is a stylistically bold collection of everything we've come to know and love about Lily Allen.
She is not a bad storyteller, but that's the fame game, she needs to keep spinning the stories.
It is all co-written and produced by Greg Kurstin, the man who has sprinkled magic studio dust over the work of Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and All Saints. Their best moments are the gentle techno hoedown of "Not Fair", and the pseudo-handbag house of "Back To The Start", with Lily's talent for motor-mouthing Cockney clicking through the gears.
Producer Greg Kurstin has done a deft job of throwing her around genres (electronic pop, country, the klezmer madness of "Never Gonna Happen") but sometimes it is at the expense of her warmth.
It's good, but not perfect. Her voice will never be the strongest one.
This is undeniably pop.
But it's absolutely nice occasionally to hear a pop starlet mouthing just a little truth.
"Lily Allen is back where she belongs - in your head all day, with a melody that won't go away". - Lewis Bazley
Alright, Still
Fear

This album was not a disappointment at all for me.

I adored the first album: the pop-folksy feel, the sense of humor, the candid lyrics--all with catchy upbeat tunes!

Don't quite have the new one memorized but it lives up to all my hopes and surpassed them in some noted cases (like "Him"!) She's a little more grown up and a little more produced in this album, but it's never too much. She retained the sense of humor and happy feeling. I love it!

Overall Grade: B+
Hilights: Everyone's At It, The Fear, Not Fair, Never Gonna Happen, F*** You, Chinese

Lily Allen is back, and still shameless. "It's Not Me, It's You" is a brilliant sophomore record that combines silly romantics and societal views with her usual brutal honesty and cynicism. While upbeat, fun, and slightly intoxicating, Allen's focus has shifted into a bit of broader and more serious thinking (as evident in the album's opening track, "Everyone's At It"). Still, she could care less what anybody thinks. "F*** You" is a whimsical biggot basher and "Chinese" is just too cute! Fans of her first album should eat this right up.

I thought her last CD was good, this one is fantastic. This one makes you realize how good a singer she is to go along with the great sound and lyrics.

... I heard "The Fear," song on the radio and thought hmmm... I like that song, who's that? Not really knowing much about Lily Allen I went ahead with my purchase of the It's Not Me, It's You CD.
I LOVE the entire Cd!!
The CD doesn't have typical popular songs but it sounds FANSTASTIC. Lily's British accent rocks. The songs are electrical, melow, fun to listen to with a lot of intelligence and personal phrases.
Fun CD to listen any time of the day.

I actually had friends over the other night and we were hanging out, eating, drinking wine and listening to this CD.

I am not in Lily Allen's target audience. But I have been listening to all kinds of music for most of my 70 years.

Most singers are lucky if they ever record a perfect album where every song is excellent. In my humble opinion It's not me, it's you is that album. There is not one filler song on the entire collection. The arranging is creative, slick and could not be better. Lily's performance is mature beyond her years. It style is poignant, personal, brutal, fresh. The lyrics are simple but direct. I love her questions about god, her western send up of It's Not Fair with its biting lyrics sung so sweetly. Every song in this collection is addicting.

I read that Lily may not record again. If this is true, she will be one of the very few who quit while they were ahead. And in this case, way out in front.

I'm going to stop listening to this collection of songs now so it can always remain perfect in my mind.

You wont be disappointed. As usual its a mixture of songs that will make you laugh, bob your head to, dance to, and look around to see if anyone can hear the lyrics outloud your singing...because a few of them will make some eyebrows raise!

I am new to the art of Lily Allen. I just discovered her a month ago, but have fallen into her grip more than any other artist has been able to do for a long time. This CD is 100% great all the way through. No fillers. No duds.

Then 21 yr old shot out of nowhere in 2006 with her delicious debut album "Alright, Then" in the UK, with multiple hit singles. After much delay (to the dismay of Lily Allen), the second album finally arrived in early 2009.

"It's Not Me, It's You" (12 tracks; 43 min.) starts of with a riveting "Everyone's At It" (my favorite song on the album, actually). It is followed by an equally great "The Fear" (1st UK single), and "Not Fair" (2nd UK single, not an obvious choice from my perspective as there are other stronger tracks). Other highlights include a rocking "Never Gonna Happen" (which sounds like another single to me), "Who'd Have Known" (one of the few pensive tunes on the album, but quite beautiful actually), and the closer "He Wasn't There".

In all, this is a great album, and at 43 min. it clips along in no time. Lily Allen surely is not a one-album wonder, if anyone had such thoughts after her debut album. Highly recommended!