Must hear 8
LILY ALLEN - ALRIGHT, STILL
NEED TO KNOW
The daughter of infamous ‘actor’ Keith Allen claims her dad’s celebrity status didn’t give her a helping hand into the recording studio.
BEST TRACK
Alfie is an uplifting song about the sibling quandaries shared between Lily and her little, eponymous, brother Alfie.
WORST TRACK
Little Things. How many times do we need to hear the singer has been dumped? Lamenting lost love is what a diary is for Lily.
ONE FOR THE COLLECTION?
Mike Skinner meets Little Britain’s Vicky Pollard, Allen is going down a storm in the UK, and judging by the amount of her CDs changing hands for shiny dirhams, in the UAE too. A summer soundtrack of pop, reggae, soul and rap lite that’s ripe for the picking. JF
STACIE ORRICO - BEAUTIFUL AWAKENING
NEED TO KNOW
After winning a talent competition at the young age of 12 and instantly being approached by A&R men, Orrico released her first album Genuine just two years later, selling half a million copies and storming the Christian music scene.
BEST TRACK
So Simple, is just that. A warm, uplifting track brimming with sugary sweet optimism and setting a tone for what’s to come.
WORST TRACK
Sharing its name with the album, Beautiful Awakening is unfortunately anything but, with a droning chorus and somewhat clichéd lyrics it’s enough to coax you into a deep slumber.
ONE FOR THE COLLECTION?
A solid selection of heartfelt ballads, smoothly produced and addressing issues relevant to a loyal fan base who’ll already know all the words. JF