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Who would've thought that the spoiled daughter of a rich comedian would become the indie darling of Britain in the fall of '06 and carry it into success on the other side of the pond in '07? And if there's one thing solid about Allen's first effort out of the gate, it's that she wrote most of the tunes and weaves solid stories in amongst the shiny pop exterior. You can't say that for other spoiled daughters turned pop singers (*Cough*Paris Hilton*Cough*). And Allen's smart. She knows about the pop hook and knows how to spin her own bite into a song without destroying its appeal. ("Smile" is a perfect example of this.)

However, this poppy approach doesn't work all the time. Allen's lyrics are the most interesting part about her songs, but sometimes the tracks fly by so quickly, that you forget what is even addressed. That and Allen's attempt at hip-hop in "Knock 'Em Out" is rather off-putting. Thankfully, she knows to sideline it and sing on the rest of the album. And thankfully, Alright, Still manages to bottle up enough of Allen's pure energy to create a good pop album. Not as on par as the pure jazz trip of fellow import Amy Winehouse's Back to Black perhaps, but Allen's pop is one of the more intriguing efforts placed by the mainstream in a while.

Rating: 7/10

Key Tracks: "Smile", "Friday Night", "LDN", "Alfie"

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