

After losing patience with her record company, Lily Allen uploaded her own demos onto Myspace, and the rest is pop history. This bold and uncompromising approach is echoed in the Londoner's debut, which pairs reggae beats and sweet, feather-light vocals with lyrics spikier than your average mohawk. Whether taking aim at a cheating ex (“Smile”), the cops (“LDN”) or her layabout kid brother (“Alfie”), her barbs are delivered with a wit and levity that never veers into brattishness. Alright, still? That's putting it mildly.