Lily Allen's last record Sheezus wasn't a bad record but it wasn't a great one either. After a period away from music, she inserted herself right into the middle of the pop circus embracing radio hits, bonkers stage shows and gimmicky trends. It was a shame. Allen has always been the sort of popstar who stands on the outside and analyses the clique with a sharp tongue but this time around she was in the middle of the hurricane and lost her sense of perception.
No Shame is the hangover of that record. It comes after a period where she saw a relationship fall apart, dealt with substance abuse and tackled public perception head on. Instead of coming at it from a defensive stand point though, she lays everything on the table, admitting her faults and dealing with the most painful subject matters. The result is some of Allen's greatest songwriting triumphs to date.
Allen has never been afraid to take on the press and while she may still be using Twitter for that worthy cause, No Shame focusses on self more than anything else. On opener Come On Now she sings, "I'm a bad mother, I'm a bad wife," seemingly rehashing a Daily Mail quote to depict a crushing loneliness. It's one of the very few points on the record where she considers public perception, choosing instead to zone in on her own thoughts about self rather than everybody else's. It's the perfect beginning to the album, one that allows us to zoom in from Allen as a public figure to Allen as a woman, wife, mother and friend.
While it has its moments, No Shame is rarely funny or sarcastic. It's startingly honest. What You Waiting For? tracks the degradation of her marriage to her now ex husband Sam Cooper, as she calls herself "untrue" over a beat by Popcaan producer Dre Skull. It's a sincerity we haven't heard since perhaps Littlest Things off her debut record Alright, Still. On My One, the wit creeps back in as she toys with the possibility of going back to the relationship while quipping about one-offs all around the world. It takes some real guts to admit mistakes in a pop song but Lily does it with the utmost humility alongside two of pop music's most direct songwriters Ezra Koenig and Mark Ronson.
The album's slowest songs give us a chance to hear a heartbreaking rawness that Allen has rarely explored before. Three analyses her relationship with her daughter through her eyes cutting straight through the heart with lines like, "you say you love me, then you walk straight out the door." Family Man sees Allen outright plead for her husband to stay as she calls herself "lost and shameless". There are no excuses on No Shame. The old Allen would've covered it up in humour. Here, it's laid bare.
Her relationships aren't the only mistakes laid out on No Shame. Partying and substance abuse take centre stage on a number of songs. One of last year's greatest pop songs Trigger Bang is a party song about pulling yourself away from the party which is a strangely satisfying juxtaposition. Everything To Feel Something has her singing, "I tried everything, everything, everything to feel something," over some of the haziest production on the record.
That's not to say No Shame isn't fun at all. This is Allen after all and she's not going to let a few blows stop her from having a laugh. Waste's woozy beat has Allen's pen at its sharpest with classic lyrics like, "big deal, I'm blessed." Meanwhile, on Your Choice she effortlessly trades bars with Burna Boy, as they continue to become music's most unlikely musical partnership.
There are two moments in particular on the record that suggest Allen is turning a new page which make it all the more poignant. Lost My Mind may be one of the most crushing heartbreak songs here but out of context the line, "I sense a change," over a strangely uplifting beat is a beautiful, refreshing moment. On Cake she zooms out once again, letting public opinion back into the record. Instead of letting it affect her like on album opener Come On Then, she tells listeners to "love this life" and "stand your ground". It's a perfect closer to an album that at points can feel like there's no resolve.
No Shame is the best Allen record to date. She's always been an honest songwriter but it's like she's pulled down another wall on this one creating an experience that feels cathartic. She's managed to be deeply introspective and yet maintain the direct, sharp and biting lyrics that have always set her apart. It's almost as if every artist has this album inside of them but only few are brave enough to bare all, admitting mistakes. Allen may be a flawed person, like the rest of us, but she's ok with acknowledging that. That alone makes No Shame so beautiful.
