By Delia Paunescu

Lily Allen burst onto the scene in 2006. Her first hit single “Smile” was sunny, bright and cheeky. And it was that sauciness that made even the most jaded of iTunes subscribers perk up and listen. Allen set herself apart from the rest of the British babes who invaded our coast around the same time with lyrics about her incontinent grandmother, pothead brother and losers at the bar.

For her sophomore release, the precocious songbird returns with “It’s Not Me, It’s You.” Now, she turns that same power of observation from her frist release onto the rest of the world, tackling God, drug addiction and even former president Bush (“Fu** You”) in her latest track list.

Her newfound maturity comes through off the bat with the first two tracks. “Everyone’s At It” and newly-released single “The Fear” are both astute commentaries on the trials those undergoing the quarter-life crisis face. She also moves away from her ska-infused roots, now experimenting with a variety of musical styles.

But for all her newfound philosophical musings and genre shifts, Allen doesn’t quite leave behind her bratty past. Tracks “Not Fair” and “Never Gonna Happen” seem quite juvenile and at times mean as she complains of a boyfriend practically perfect aside from his sexual inadequacies. The latter sings like a terrible sign-off, presumably to the same poor sap. She may have gotten older, thinner and slightly more mature, but Allen is no Joni Mitchell. Still, the album is fun to dance to and sometimes that’s all you need.