Lily Allen raises a smile

LILY Allen’s third album is a continuation of her ‘take no prisoners’ style, containing no-nonsense lyrics written to shame a certain type of celebrity.

There’s a lot of mentions of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, all delivered within Allen’s saccharine sweet singing voice, carried along with a breezy poppy r’n’b sound.

We’re also treated to a more mature sound; the catchy Our Time has all the hallmarks of a strong radio-friendly single.

This extremely mellow number with an almost calypso sound has Allen singing about winding down at the end of the week and is sure to resonate with her now more mature fans, who are likely to have stayed with her from 2006 ‘Smile’ days.

It’s a shame that less thought has gone into the lyrics of Sheezus.

Some of the lyrics strike me as trying to be a little too clever and don’t really work, but there is more positivity to this album than her previous efforts.

Her Christmas number one Somewhere Only We Know is included as a bonus track and is a nice wind down from the frenetic pace of the album.

New single Hard Out Here delivers the message well but doesn’t stand up to the insightful The Fear from her second album.

An enjoyable listen that raises a smile but is let down an over dependence on social commentary.