Lily Allen - No Shame

The life of Lily Allen took some major turns after the release her third album "Sheezus" (2014). While I don't really want to remember it, I do remember I gave it 3.5/10 which speaks about how fucking bad it was. Even the English singer admitted herself that the album sucked and described those times as an "identity crisis".

Around the same time, her personal life also started to shatter as she divorced with her husband and that reflected on her relationship with her children. It's almost like Lily was not able to avoid all the drama and she went to a dark place with some substance abuse. So, when we draw the line, we have - commercial failure, artistic failure, marriage failure and bad parenting. And all these lowdowns had their impact on "No Shame" which is a much better album than "Sheezus" although not perfect either.

After many years of working with producer/songwriter Greg Kurstin, Lily finally decided to go on a different path. This may have been a slippery floor to step on. Kurstin did a great job on her first two albums but then again "Sheezus" was such a disaster that it wouldn't make much sense for him to work with her again. Instead, Allen collaborated with a different crew that includes other famous musicians like Mark Ronson, Fryars, and Ezra Koenig from the band Vampire Weekend. Thankfully, this change proved to be a breath of fresh air.

Well, the English football fans already know what's NOT coming home but for Lily Allen, things are a bit different.
Her favorite team Fulham FC returns to the Premier League this season after 4 seasons exile in Championship.
*The meme includes "No Shame"'s alternate cover

At first glance, "No Shame" presents the singer in a way more stripped (musically) and intimate approach.  The opener "Come On Then" does reminiscent some glorious summer arena electropop with pulsating beats and instrumental but Allen turns it to an open letter to everyone who's looking into her personal life - "Yeah, I'm a bad mother, I'm a bad wife / You saw it on the socials, you read it online".  Her flirt with dancehall and reggae vibes is back on a few tracks like "What You Waiting For", "Your Choice", "Waste" and "Higher" and they are among the best here and also her best since her second album "It's Not Me, It's You" (2009).

I thoroughly enjoyed her confessions on the two piano-tinged ballads "Family Man" and "Three", and"Apples" is also sweet in a familiar way with its low-fi production. "Trigger Bang" with the rapper Giggs (not to be confused with the legendary Manchester United player) is a pretty decent attempt on mixing dark pop and hip-hop and "Pushing Up Daisies" is just Lily being silly and goofy in her own charming way. There is also a tiny bit of filler somewhere in between all this and it's totally fine.

"No Shame" doesn't really have any big bangers but that's because the singer was tired of acting like she's supposed to break the charts with every single song. What we have in the end is a cohesive and introspective collection of songs that put Lily Allen back in the game. Sure, she will never be again the superstar she was but "No Shame" is a legit proof she's still got it, minus the dumb "so 90's" cover art (both). In 2018 Lily makes amends with everyone and let's hope that makes her happy.

Listen if you:

Had a soft spot for Lily's first two albums

Have gone recently through a divorce or any similar drama

Want to listen to smart pop music