Alright, Still

The coolest new flavor of pure pop arrives courtesy of Britain's Lily Allen, whose reggae- and funk-inflected tunes could be pages ripped from a dishy diary. Though her insistent, workaday voice is nothing to get excited about, Allen sure can tell a story, whether dissing a lousy lover ("You never, ever made me come"), shooing away an uninvited one ("Are you stupid? Or just a little slow?"), or urging little brother to cut down on weed ("Get off your lazy arse…stop being a twat"). If her blunt ways sometimes make Allen seem like a mean girl, the bright, shimmering dance grooves keep fun in the mix.