WEST END GIRL

The British pop star, Lily Allen has just released her latest album, "West End Girl", her first in seven years, which chronicles the demise of her marriage, expressing the bitterness and anger through each song. Allen's last album, "No Shame" sprang from the dissolution of her first marriage where she revealed that she suffered from an identity crisis and dealt with her issues with substance abuse. 

Brutally honest and vividly detailed, Allen holds nothing back in "West End Girl", describing all the rage and disappointment she had experienced during her marriage to actor, David Harbour, best known for his work in the Netflix series, "Stranger Things", while trying to move forward with her life.

Recorded in Los Angeles over sixteen days, the title of the album comes from her moving to New York with her new spouse and then going back to the UK after getting a role in a West End play when he proceeds to request an open marriage over the telephone. Allen admits she went into this situation with her eyes wide open yet felt was misled and lied to by her husband who she claims had his own agenda. While the songs are based on facts, she states they are still fictionalized accounts of events and circumstances. "West End Girl" brilliantly captures pain and despair in a way that is still filled with wit and style. Allen plans to tour next year where she will perform the album in it's entirety. 

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

LILY ALLEN - "SHEEZUS"

The teenage Lily Allen was considered just cheeky when she released her debut, "Alright, Still" back in 2006 but now with her third album, "Sheezus",  Allen has become a full-grown bad-ass. This witty Brit has always had a strong opinion on a variety of issues and never been afraid to give it voice. The title track (which is a nod to the title of Kanye West's last album) not only takes aim at the current pop princesses but the state of popular music in general while "Hard Out Here" focuses on the pressures of being a female in the male-dominated entertainment industry. Allen has once again teamed-up with Greg Kurstin, one of the main producer/co-writer of her previous works and together bring to life her quirky version of pop music.

"Air Balloon" - Lily Allen (2014)

The video for "Hard Out Here"  has some controversy surrounding  it due to the use of scantily-clad black dancers. There were accusations of exploitation and racism but Allen remained defiant and unapologetic as this clip was intended as a statement on the images of women in entertainment:




LYKKE LI - "I NEVER LEARN"

The busy Greg Kurstin also lent a helping hand to the latest from Lykke Li.  "I Never Learn" is the third album from the Swedish artist and Li has stated that this is the final chapter of a musical trilogy.  The writing of this record was inspired by the demise of a relationship with the spare songs feeling like raw, deeply emotional confessionals. With each album, Li has grown more confident in her quiet yet dramatic voice to surround it with minimal accompaniment.

"Gunshot" - Lykke Li (2014)

CHROMEO - 'WHITE WOMEN"

Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) make up the Canadian electrofunk duo, Chromeo and they are back with their fourth release, "White Women". The title was inspired by photographer, Helmut Newton and they describe this album's sound as "Larry David funk" because all the songs have a kind of neurotic funky groove to them. Beyoncé's baby sister, Solange, Toro y Moi and Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig all add their voices to a few tracks.

"Jealous (I Ain't With It)" - Chromeo (2014)

After providing songs for the films, "The Great Gatsby" and the upcoming, "Maleficent", Lana Del Rey is finally preparing to release the follow-up to her debut, "Born To Die". Due out in June, "Ultraviolence" is produced by The Black Keys', Dan Auerbach and the first single, "West Coast" is a sleepy ballad with a surf-rock feel. The music video adds an eerie energy to the song as Del Rey is seen frolicking on a sunny beach with an assumed lover but later rides around at night in a convertible with an older man: