''Alright, Still'' is the debut studio album by English singer
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
, released on 13 July 2006 by
Regal Recordings
Regal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an Record label#Imprint, imprint of Parlophone, Parlophone Records.
Background
Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1913 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Rec ...
. After being rejected by several record labels, Allen signed to
London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
, who eventually lost interest in her, leading her to meet production duo Future Cut and sign to Regal Recordings. Recording for the album began in 2004 with sessions between Allen and Future Cut, and Allen's work garnered publicity on the internet as she posted demos to her
MySpace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
account before they were officially released. Allen later travelled to the United States to work with
Greg Kurstin and
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...
, to complete the final half of the album in 2006.
''Alright, Still'' is predominately a
pop album, with songs that are heavily influenced by Jamaican
ska music,
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
and
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
. The lyrics are conversational and farcical, discussing past relationships with a dark sense of humour. Due to the instances of strong language in a majority of the songs, the album was released with a
Parental Advisory warning, although the song "Friday Night" remains censored on all versions of the album.
Upon release, ''Alright, Still'' received acclaim from the British music press, with international critics calling the record and Allen "original". It was commercially successful in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number two on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
and was later certified quadruple platinum. ''Alright, Still'' has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. The album earned a nomination for
Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Ho ...
at the
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonie ...
. It was promoted by the release of four singles, including the chart-topper "
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
" and the top-10 single "
LDN".
Background
When her family went to
Ibiza
Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...
on holiday, Allen told her mother that she was staying with friends but remained in
Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany (; ), or simply Sant Antoni (), is a town on the western coast of Ibiza, the second-largest town and municipality on the island. It is situated on Sant Antoni Bay on the west coast of the island, part of the Spain autono ...
instead. She earned money by working at a Plastic Fantastic record store and dealing
ecstasy.
Allen met her first manager,
George Lamb, in Ibiza.
She was rejected by several labels, which she attributed to her drinking and being the daughter of actor
Keith Allen. She eventually used her father's connections to get signed to
London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
in 2002.
When the executive who had signed her left, the label lost interest and she left without releasing the
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
songs that had been written for her, many of which were written by her father.
She then studied horticulture to become a florist, but changed her mind and returned to music. Allen began writing songs, while her manager introduced her to production duo Future Cut in 2004. They worked in a small studio in the basement of an office building.
Development
Allen's manager introduced her to production duo Future Cut in 2004. They worked in a small studio in the basement of a
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
office building. In 2005, Allen was signed to
Regal Recordings
Regal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an Record label#Imprint, imprint of Parlophone, Parlophone Records.
Background
Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1913 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Rec ...
; the label gave her
£25,000 to produce an album, though they were unable to provide much support for it due to their preoccupation with other releases such as
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
's ''
X&Y'' and
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...
' ''
Demon Days
''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 11 May 2005 in Japan, 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone, and 24 May 2005 in the United States by Virgin Records.
The album continu ...
''.
Allen created an account on MySpace and began posting
demos
Demos may refer to:
Computing
* DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system
* DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR
* Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems
* Plural for Demo (computer programming ...
in November 2005.
The demos attracted thousands of listeners, and 500 limited edition
7" vinyl
In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...
singles of one of the demos, a song titled "
LDN", were rush-released and sold for as much as £40.
Allen also produced two
mixtape
In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
s titled ''My First Mixtape'' and ''My Second Mixtape'' to promote her work, including tracks by the band
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, h ...
and rappers
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...
and
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
. As she accumulated tens of thousands of MySpace friends, ''The Observer Music Monthly'' (''OMM''), a magazine published in ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', took interest.
Few people outside of her label's
A&R department had heard of Allen, so the label were slow in responding to publications who wanted to report about her.
In March 2006, ''OMM'' published an article about Allen's success through MySpace, and she received her first major mainstream coverage appearing in the magazine's cover story two months later. The popularity of her songs convinced her label to allow her more creative control over the album and to use some of the songs that she had written instead of attempting to work with mainstream producers. Allen found herself distracted by the publicity, so to focus on finishing the album, she travelled to the United States to work with producers
Greg Kurstin and
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...
. There, she was able to complete the second half of the album in approximately two weeks.
The album's title is used in a line from the second track, "Knock 'Em Out": "You look alright still, yeah what's your name?"
Music and lyrics
In her songs, Allen develops various personas. She stated that she tried to "write about stuff that happens to people from all different backgrounds". The lyrics are conversational, with a
dark sense of humour.
In many of the songs, one of Allen's personae disparages someone around her.
In "
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
", "Not Big", and "
Shame for You", she insults an ex-boyfriend.
In "Knock 'Em Out", she mocks suitors at a bar, and Lily reprimands her brother
Alfie on
the song of the same name.
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...
, a close friend of Allen's father
Keith, played mixtapes of
Brazilian music and Jamaican
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
and ska when she was young. Allen stated that she had "always been into very
black music
Music of the African diaspora is a sound created, produced, or inspired by Black people, including Music of Africa, African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including some Caribbean mus ...
" such as ska, reggae, and
hip hop music
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...
. Since she did not know how to
rap, she chose to use reggae as a point of reference when making ''Alright, Still''. The album's music blends ska and reggae with pop melodies.
Allen's melodies are influenced by the
jazz improvisation
Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts in a performance of jazz music. It is one of the defining elements of jazz. Improvisation is composing on the spot, when a singer or instrumentalist inv ...
techniques of American singers
Blossom Dearie and
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...
. The album's beats are influenced by various genres such as
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
grime.
Promotion
In 2007, Allen played the newly launched Park Stage at the
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
, replacing
M.I.A. who had cancelled. During the festival she reunited two members of
the Specials
The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...
, an act that guitarist
Lynval Golding claimed played a "massive part" in the group's 2009 reunion.
On the day "Smile" was released, Allen appeared on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
's
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...
with DJ
Jo Whiley, performing an acoustic version of "Smile" and a cover of
the Kooks
The Kooks () are an English indie rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The current lineup consists of Luke Pritchard on vocals and guitar, and Hugh Harris on bass, guitar, and synthesiser.
Their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s Br ...
' song "
Naïve
Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may ...
". At the
Secret Garden Party
The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent music festival, arts and music festival held in Abbots Ripton, England. The location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its own lakes, river ...
, in September 2006, Allen made a rendition of the song and afterwards stated: "The festival was well good, particularly as Lester, my ex, who I wrote 'Smile' about, and subsequently sold his story to the papers, had a tent called 'the shit tent' positioned directly opposite the main stage. So he and his new girlfriend had no option but to watch me perform to a couple of thousand people singing 'Smile' back to me. Oh, it's the little things eh!" "Smile" was performed live as part of the setlist of Allen's 2007
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...
. During the 2007
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
music festival, Allen said, "I'm so sick of this song, but I'll play it for you, Austin" before singing it. On 3 February 2007, the singer was invited as a musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', where she performed "Smile" and "LDN".
Critical reception
''Alright, Still'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 79, based on 27 reviews.
''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
''s Rosie Swash stated that Allen's "uniquely acidic brand of pop" music justified the publicity it generated and that "the icing on the cake is that brutally barbed tongue".
Ron Webb wrote for ''
Drowned in Sound'' that the album "is almost a brilliant record, easily a good one and one that promises to divide opinion like
Marmite". In a review for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Sophie Heawood stated that "the album is rough round the edges, that amateurism serves to bring the listener in", noting that it gave the album a more personal touch.
''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Priya Elan remarked that "with a personality this size, this isn't the last time you'll be hearing from
llen.
The album generally received positive reviews from international music press.
Rob Sheffield
Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author.
He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at '' Blen ...
wrote for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' that Allen's sense of irony was "just more proof that
he isan original".
Heather Phares of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
stated that "enough of ''Alright, Still'' works—as pure pop and on the meta level Allen aims for—to make the album a fun, summery fling, and maybe more".
Praising Allen for her "genuine personality with wit and attitude to spare", ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
''s Mark Pytlik remarked that the album "isn't anything else but a fantastic success".
In his review for ''
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...
'', Jon Dolan complimented Allen's "little-sisterly" personality, describing it as a combination "of panache and self-doubt, courage and chaos".
On the other hand, ''
Stylus Magazine
''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog.
Addi ...
'' dismissed the album as "nothing more than pop for people who hate pop music" and "phony music for people who can't let go of their inhibitions",
while ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' deemed it "rubbish" and called Allen "sickeningly contemptuous".
The
mastering of ''Alright, Still'', done by Tim Burrell and Tim Debney, has been criticised. In January 2007, ''The Guardian'' ran a piece about
loudness wars, the practice of increasing the loudness of tracks which often results in
distortion
In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
and the loss of
dynamic range
Dynamics (from Greek δυναμικός ''dynamikos'' "powerful", from δύναμις ''dynamis'' " power") or dynamic may refer to:
Physics and engineering
* Dynamics (mechanics), the study of forces and their effect on motion
Brands and ent ...
. It included ''Alright, Still'' in a list of CDs in which sound quality was compromised for loudness. ''Rolling Stone'' published a similar story in December 2007, and it also identified ''Alright, Still'' as an album "so unrelentingly loud that the sound is actually distorted".
Accolades
''The Guardian'' ranked it the seventh best album of the year and commented, "For her lyrical nous and her quick delivery alone, get that toast on." ''Pitchfork'' called it "one of 2006's most enduringly rewarding pop albums" and listed it as the 29th best album of 2006.
"Rolling Stone" ranked the album 13th on its list of the best albums of 2007. ''
Uncut'' called it "a terrific, bolshy, eclectic stew of London street pop", listing ''Alright, Still'' at number 38 on its "Definitive Albums of 2006". ''The Observer'' ranked the album tenth on its list of the best albums of 2006.
At the 2008 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album but lost to
the White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...
' ''
Icky Thump''. Ronson's production on "
Littlest Things" helped him win a
Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...
.
Commercial performance
''Alright, Still'' debuted at number two on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, selling 62,701 copies in its first week. During the week ending 3 February 2007, all top 10 places on the UK Albums Chart were occupied by British artists for the first time since the chart was established in 1956; ''Alright, Still'' was number nine that week. The
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) certified it triple platinum on 14 March 2008.
As of June 2018, the album had sold 1,142,062 copies in the United Kingdom.
In Ireland, the album debuted at number six on the
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by t ...
and was certified platinum by the
Irish Recorded Music Association
The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is a non-profit association set up in 1999 to promote certain interests of the music industry in Ireland. It is particularly active in addressing copyright issues, and it compiles the official music ...
(IRMA).
The album was less successful in continental Europe; it charted inside the top 20 in Norway, the top 30 in Belgium and the Netherlands, and the top 50 in France and Sweden.
In April 2007, ''Alright, Still'' received a Platinum Europe Award by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
(IFPI), denoting sales in excess of one million copies across Europe.
''Alright, Still'' debuted at number 20 on the
''Billboard'' 200 in the United States, with first-week sales of 34,000 copies. The
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) awarded the album a gold certification on 6 December 2007,
and by November 2013, it had sold 627,000 copies in the US.
''Alright, Still'' peaked at number seven on the Australian
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
,
and in 2009, it received a platinum accreditation by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA), shipping over 70,000 copies.
In New Zealand, the album reached number 26 and was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...
(RIANZ) for shipments in excess of 7,500 copies.
As of February 2009, the album had sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a remixer
Sample credits
* "Smile" contains replayed elements of "Free Soul" by
Jackie Mittoo
Donat Roy Mittoo (3 March 1948 – 16 December 1990), better known as Jackie Mittoo, was a Jamaican-Canadian keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a member of The Skatalites and musical director of the Studio One record label.
...
and
Clement Dodd.
* "Knock 'Em Out" contains replayed elements of the work "
Big Chief
"Big Chief" is a song recorded by Professor Longhair.Berry/Foose/Jones, ''Up from the Cradle of Jazz''. University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009, p. 148. It was released as a single by Watch Records of New Orleans in February, 1965. " by
Earl King.
* "LDN" contains replayed elements of "Reggae Merengue".
* "Littlest Things" contains elements from "Theme from Emmanuelle (Instrumental)" and "Emmanuelle in the Mirror" written by
Pierre Bachelet and
Hervé Roy.
* "Friend of Mine" contains elements from "
For the Love of You" written and composed by
O'Kelly Isley, Jr.,
Ernest Isley,
Rudolph Isley
Rudolph "Rudy" Bernard Isley (April 1, 1939 – October 11, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter and Christian minister and one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers.
Life and career
Rudolph "Rudy" Bernard Isley was born on April 1, ...
,
Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley ( ; born May 21, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.
Early life
Born in 1941 to Sallye Bernice (née Bell) and O ...
,
Marvin Isley and
Chris Jasper.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Alright, Still''.
Musicians
*
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
– vocals
*
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...
– beats, harp, synth strings, percussion
* Michael Rose – saxophone
* Paul Powell – drums
* Jonny Wimbolt-Lewis – drums
*
Eddie Thornton – trumpet
* Trevor Edwards – trombone
* Clive Hunte – bass
*
John Waddington – bass
* Paul Farr – guitar
* Mark Nicholls – guitar
* John Ellis – keyboards
*
Oliver Bayston – keyboards
* Darren Lewis – keyboards ; percussion
* Iyiola Babalola – keyboards ; percussion
Technical
* Future Cut – production ; mixing
*
Mike Pelanconi – mixing ; engineering
* Dan Porter – mixing assistance
*
Greg Kurstin – production, recording, mixing
* Pablo Cook – production
*
Blair MacKichan – production
* Mark Ronson – production, recording
* Vaughan Merrick – mixing
* Rob Smith – recording
* Kieran Panesar – recording assistance
* Tim Burrell – mastering
* Tim Debney – mastering
* George Atkins – engineering
* Darren Lewis – engineering, production
* Iyiola Babalola – engineering, production
Artwork
* Check Morris – artwork
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
{{Authority control
2006 debut albums
Albums produced by Greg Kurstin
Albums produced by Mark Ronson
Capitol Records albums
Contemporary R&B albums by English artists
Lily Allen albums
Reggae albums by English artists