PERFORMER: Lily Allen
THE CD: “Alright Still”
Recommended if you like: Madness, Nellie Mckay, Gorillaz

Lily Allen is one of the first artists to successfully launch a career using MySpace. Under the guidance of her father, Keith Allen, a comedian, actor and musician in the UK (He appeared on “The Young Ones,” acted in “Trainspotting,” and co-wrote songs with New Order), Allen posted many of the songs that make up her first album on her MySpace Page, and her fans helped propel them up the UK singles chart.

Allen’s music is reminiscent of ’80s Ska band, Madness, with a beautiful pop mentality, light reggae touch, and a few modern samples and production techniques on display. She’s still finding her voice, which is light and breezy, with just a touch of accent. Her vocals are well-suited to the music, which is textbook catchy British pop, but als a sweet-and-sour treat for the musical palate.

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PERFORMER: Mika
THE CD: “Life in Cartoon Motion”

London-based Mica Penniman, who performs as Mika, has delivered a debut album that is pure rock/pop ear candy. Imagine Queen, Ben Folds, and Scissor Sisters tossed in a musical blender. There are tracks on this album that are some of brightest moments in pop music in recent memory.

The opening cut, “Grace Kelly,” shows off the classically-trained Mika’s vocal resemblance to the late Freddie Mercury. The tune is a satire on the culture of celebrity reinvention that dominates the music business these days. With a melody swiped from Mozart’s “The Marriage Of Figaro,” the first track on this CD is an opening salvo that lets you know there’s some brains behind the music.

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THE CD: “Burning in Hell”
THE PERFORMER: David Childers and the Modern Don Juans

On his latest recording, “Burning in Hell,” singer and songwriter David Childers sings songs of love gone bad, prison, mama and other country touchstones, but he does it with a go-for-broke, tattooed-heart-on-rolled-up-sleeve attitude that recalls both the Hanks and Billy Joe Shaver with the touch of a bawling poet.

He also has a fine band in the Modern Don Juans, with growling guitarists and a drummer who gets the job done.

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