Label: Parlophone
Country: United Kingdom
Release Date: 2009.02.09

It’s Not Me, It’s You, is the follow-up to Lily Allen’s critically acclaimed 2007 debut, Alright, Still. The album finds Lily in top form, creating a record Blender’s recent “In The Studio” feature described as “part God, part country and all middle finger.” Allen wrote and recorded the album’s 12 songs with producer Greg Kurstin (the bird and the bee), who worked with her on three songs for Alright, Still – “Everything’s Just Wonderful,” “Alfie” and “Not Big.” On It’s Not Me, It’s You, Lily’s characteristically sharp observations find expression in a variety of musical styles, with influences ranging from the Jazz Era to country and western to dance music. “Highlights include `Everyone’s at It,’ a synth-pop song about prescription drugs that features Allen on xylophone; `He Wasn’t There,’ which matches emotional lyrics about her absent father to a jazz groove; and `Not Fair,’ a saucy country song about an inadequate lover,” said Rolling Stone.

It’s Not Me, It’s You has been met with good reviews from critics. Reviewing for The Observer, Garry Mulholland awarded the album five out of five, calling this a “wonderful record,” and added that it is “a pop album brave enough to have a go at defining the times.”Clash concluded: “Britain’s mouthy pop idol returns triumphantly and with the brawny guts to stick with what she knows best”, after commenting that Lily Allen “probably has enough personal ammunition to fuel a ten-year career of brutally autobiographical albums”.Mikael Wood of Billboard stated the album is “hardly the grown-up buzz-kill it might have been”, according with him, it was thanks to “Lily Allen’s still-sharp lyrical wit and an exceedingly crafty production job by Greg Kurstin.” Wood also praised in particular the track “Him”, calling it as a “irresistible tune”.