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She's bratty, brash and absolutely brimming with opinions, and her debut single is no exception. A biting jab at a cheating former boyfriend, Allen's sweetly sung vocals and ska-happy organ sample belie the adolescent anger and just plain piss and vinegar of her lyrics. This song is what No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani would sound like if she'd been born upper crust in West London.
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"It's kind of a raw song," he says of Allen's sunny, stripped-down debut. Why so many Brit chicks? "I guess I love that accent. It's so different.
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You know why this British pop sensation is smiling? Because she hired a bunch of yobs, chavs and hooligans to beat the shit out of her cheating ex-boyfriend, that's why. Way to set an example for the kids, luv!
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Simultaneously every man's dream girl and worst nightmare, the outspoken Brit doesn't need you either way, and she makes it quite clear on this. It doesn't hurt that she can sing like an angel, even if angels don't say things like "When I see you cry, it makes me smile." But a tarnished halo is a small price to pay for flawless pop music.
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A blithe kiss-off by a young London lady with door-knocker earrings -- set to a calypso beat. Blimey, homie.
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Given her sudden stardom, her smile gets even bolder: Revenge in a diary-- or on a MySpace page-- is one thing but revenge from atop the pop charts is another.
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With a breezy melody and biting lyrics about the British pop princess getting back at her ex-boyfriend, this is the perfect sweet-and-sour song.
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As funny as the video is (especially the punchline shot of the dude looking dejected as another DJ spins), it's truly best when the camera's up in Lily's face, capturing every smirk and grin as she tries to maintain her Serious Face. That gesture of her hand covering her mouth at 2:15 ought to make her famous.
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This deceptively named ditty was '06's most gloriously bitter breakup song: Part Mike Skinner, part Gwen Stefani, part Blondie, the young Allen defined her very own bratty, musically adventurous style on "smile," a reggae-lite platter about the joys of an ex's despair.
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She packs an opinion and a punch, all sung over the mash-up of old school Calypso beats and pop hooks.
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It's hard to figure what the best part of this track is. The dusty old reggae loop, Lily Allen's cool London drawl, or that little thing she does with her voice when the chorus comes. It's the purest of bubblegum pop, dressed in an array of 21st century gear, but just as reliant on a sweet, infectious little melody and catchy rhythmic bounce as any great pop tune.
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Her career was launched online, so it's no surprise that this smart four-song digital EP is available only on the Internet.
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A stylishly breezy pop song with a summery groove functions as the perfect musical kiss-off to an unfaithful lover. It works on a number of levels -- an anthem for the jilted, a declaration of independence -- but it's best suited to serve as an irresistible filler of dance floors for many months to come.
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'Smile' is about feeling good when bad things happen to ex-boyfriends, and feeling a little guilty about it, although not really. And while it doesn't mark Allen out as excellent dating material, as a soundtrack to the summer it's a dead fackin' cert.
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Already ubiquitous summer anthem from the country's brightest pop hope, who's quickly stepped out of the shadow of her celebrity dad, comedian Keith Allen.
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"Smile" is the summery new single from Miquita Oliver's newly acquired best friend and Keith Allen's daughter. Reminds us of a girl version of The Streets.
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If Pete Waterman or Simon Cowell felt like creating a machine to churn out the perfect summer single, the outcome would probably sound a lot like this. Except not nearly as good.
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Ah, such sweet singing over a carefree reggae beat. Wait! Is this that new Paris Hilton single? Oh, phew, it's just Lily Allen, the 21-year-old Brit singer who's had bloggers going ga-ga for weeks.
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A summer jam of the sweetest variety, its ingredients-- plinky piano, warm organ rolls, windchimes-- swirl in a big-ass coconut of rocksteady, while Lily coos a little schadenfreude at the expense of her ex.
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