Usually, I consider Pop to be a dirty three-letter word. The reason for this is that I can't stand that most labels and producers feel that Pop music has to be dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator. To be honest, the only person in my opinion that has come out of the Pop world in recent years that has been worth her salt is Kelly Clarkson. I mean, she's currently working with Punk legend Mike Watt from The Minutemen and fIREHOSE on her next album, how cool is that? Gwen Stefani has a supposed Punk background and I'll bet she couldn't pick Mike Watt out of a lineup.

Well Kelly, I hate to put the pressure on you, but you finally have a worthy adversary. Fiery, foul-mouthed Brit Lily Allen is barely 21 years old and without a doubt she's the best thing to happen to Pop music in nearly a decade. Released last summer in the U.K, Allen's Alright, Still is finally seeing the light of day here in the states. Allen's been all the rage on Myspace for months though and it's easy to see why. She's devilishly clever and her music is unbelievably catchy. She has an innocent look and sound to her, but when you peel back the lyrics you find a vindictive, mean and snarky little bitch. And boy do I love it!

All you need to know about Lily Allen is summed up in the chorus of her first single "Smile", " At first, when I see you cry, it makes me smile, yeah it makes me smile." Ouch! She's even willing to go into certain "details" about her ex-boyfriend in "Not Big." All this singing about ex's and going clubbing may sound juvenile at first, but believe me this album is smart and sharp as a tack. Musically, Allen falls somewhere between The Streets and The Specials; a lot of Dub and Reggae mixed over British Hip-Hop beats. Parents be warned though! This album is not, I repeat NOT for children. This album earns its parental advisory sticker proudly and like I said, Allen's cute as a button but lyrically more poisonous than a pit viper. But finally! A Pop album that adults can be proud to own, unlike those Spice Girls and Britney Spears albums that you hide when company comes over.