The First Blips of Lily Allen's Return

It's only April, and God damn, it's already been quite a year for our hero Lily Allen. She had a miscarriage, which ultimately caused her break-up with father Ed Simon of the Chemical Brothers, she was signed to be the new face of lingerie line Agent Provocateur and was dropped at the last minute, her talk show on BBC3 is apparently not doing amazingly well... but she is certainly not letting it keep her down.

As you may or may not know, Lily Allen's new album is due out later this year, and just recently, two of her tracks have been put on her MySpace. Just from a tiny listen, you can tell how Lily has grown.

"I Don't Know", slated to be the album's first single, is definitely a different turn from the feel of 2007's cheery smash Alright, Still-- her trademark sardonicism shows, but coming with a tinge of melancholy to replace the devil-may-care attitude of her earlier songs. But of course, it shows Lily has not lost her ability to effectively take the piss out of modern society, and somehow, this time, it is more real than it has ever been. It should certainly be a reminder of Allen's securely established role as the smartest woman in pop.

The second demo posted, "I Could Say", is also a synth-heavy break-up ballad, certainly secures what the tone of the album will be. By juxtaposing these two tracks that fit so well together, you can certainly tell the album will be techier, smarter and certainly more serious.

Just two little samples show how much Ms Allen has matured after the past few rough months of her life. She has come out of the fire like a phoenix: smarter, stronger, more responsible, and with more determination than ever before.

God, Lily, this is so different, but it's so totally brilliant. I can't wait for this album. Lily, darling, I'm on pins and needles to see what you've got up your sleeve!