Pop'd Art: Lily Allen's "The Fear"

When the young British neo-soul artists started crossing the pond a few years back, I quickly aligned myself behind Amy Winehouse rather than Lily Allen, partially because I liked Winehouse's sound better, but also because I thought Allen's songs were a little weak.

It appears Lily Allen is about to release a new album, and this is the first single. It skews more to straight-up pop than soul, but the lyrics are witty and sarcastic, a relentless satire of modern values. Listen to the verses (it's amazing she can sing with tongue planted so firmly in cheek) and then the chorus, and try to tell me there's not a smart girl behind this song.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that it's something you can shake your booty to.