Lily Allen 'No Shame' - album review

The lady that has no apologies, about being blunt and straight to the point, is back with a bang.

Lily Allen's 4th album, "No Shame", is a refreshing album, where a woman speaks her mind, and not giving two hoots about those that can't bear to hear the truth.

The first track "Come On Then" epitomises that; the song is about telling a person to look at their own bullshit first, not throwing stones when one lives in a glass palace themselves. It's about the power of the individual becoming toxic; before physically asking a person for the facts, some would rather listen to hearsay, read posts online and make a biased judgment that they pass off as facts, which in some ways is a projection or distraction from the issues in their own life. Great introduction to the story of now.

This album is crammed full of upbeat rhythms and summer anthems. Songs like "What You Waiting For", "Waste" (feat. Lady Chann) and "Your Choice" (feat. Burna Boy), have got strong reggae vibes, and full of confessions, mistakes and "fuck it" situations that you can't really change once they've happened.

Throughout this album, there is definitely songs of reflection, evaluations about past mistakes, personal growth, even having a breaking point with someone who is quite duplicitous. If you want something real, don’t play games with people. I feel that statement is Lily's signature throughout all her music, which is why we love her and her honesty.

"Apples" is very poetic; deep regret about breaking up an unhealthy relationship, feeling pain and hurt but also judging yourself; about presenting patterns of behaviour, that are sometimes left over from our first primal relationships. Lily says it herself at the end... "I guess that apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Lily even explores the issue with not believing you're worth a lot, low self-esteem like in "Everything to Feel Something." As the title says, sometimes one doesn't care how they're treated, how they cope with their mind, as long as they perpetuate the illusion that they can control when they feel things, and when they become numb and switch off when the feelings become overwhelming.

"Pushing up Daisies" is an extension of the line in the wedding vows "in sickness and health, till death do us part". It's not all doom and gloom though, if that's what you were thinking. In between the lines, and the messy bits (just like life), the message is clear: be unapologetic in being yourself, without allowing ego or others telling you who you should be. Hold on to that, and you'll be on the right track to where you want to go, fulfilling your purpose....and even have that cake and eat it, too.

Track listing;

1. Come On Then (Explicit)

2. Trigger Bang (feat. Giggs) (Explicit)

3. What You Waiting For?

4. Your Choice (feat. Burna Boy) (Explicit)

5. Lost My Mind

6. Higher

7. Family Man

8. Apples (Explicit)

9. Three

10. Everything To Feel Something (Explicit)

11. Waste (feat. Lady Chann) (Explicit)

12. My One (Explicit)

13. Pushing Up Daisies (Explicit)

14. Cake