All Hail Sheezus
Lily Allen has yet to confirm the status on her genius, but on her third studio album Sheezus, she has definitely carved out a spot for herself among the pop elite. The title track is the perfect opening for her first studio album in five years. “Sheezus” addresses her musical hiatus, dealing with being compared to the likes of Rihanna, Lorde, Beyoncé and, of course, her period.
Allen has always been one to point out double standards of celebrity. In “Insincerely Yours,” she makes it clear how she doesn’t want to take part in the public aspect of being a pop star: “I’m not your friend and I can’t pretend / I ain’t being funny, funny / Let’s be clear / I’m here / I’m here to make money, money, money.” She later goes on to criticize female DJs: “Whatever happened to the real DJs? / Cause the chick you’ve paid can’t mix for shit / With her Beats by Dre / She’s so legit.”
Allen takes a deep look at herself and her background in “Silver Spoon,” where she addresses her wealthy up-bringing and how that shouldn’t be grounds for judgement. “Hard Out Here” further deals with the difficulties for women in show business and being objectified, all laced with Allen’s dry sense of humor. Allen, though, empowers with lyrics like, “Forget your balls and grow a pair of tits.”
Criticism is not the only subject of Sheezus. Allen has plenty of love songs like “As Long As I Got You,” “Air Balloon” and “Somewhere Only We Know” (a cover of the Keane hit) They all show Allen’s soft side (she is a mother), and contrast, almost confusingly, with some of the more crass tracks.
This is the world of Lily Allen, one that is constantly playing between love, self-awareness, feminism, and toilet jokes. Allen’s voice sounds as great as ever and the tracks supporting it are catchy and even adventurous at times (“Untitled,” basically a minute and thirty-nine seconds of noise, sounds like something Kanye genius’d on Yeezus). Sheezus is extremely well rounded and Lily Allen has proved that it was worth the wait.
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