In the early part of the 21st Century, two women emerged from the UK pop music wars to lead an army in their wake. Amy Winehouse was a soul stirrer, Lily Allen a pop figure, and between the two they changed the way women represented themselves in the UK and in the world. Amy died, Lily went into retirement and in their wake there arrive many a contender.
Adele stole the crown from both of them.
Amy wannabes are women like Emeli Sandi and Pablo Faith: ultra serious soul stars with albums that have hung around the Brit charts or months. Lily wannabes are Marina And The Diamonds and Elisa Doolittle, and while both have been successful in the UK, neither have done so hot over here. And while Marina, who did herself zero favors opening for Coldplay earlier this year, is probably the one to beat. But the better is Eliza Doolittle.
When I caught Eliza at Joe's Pub a couple of years ago, I thought she had the songs (available on her eponymous debut), songs as cheeky and funny as Lily's first albums, but she had a long way to go before she could actually sell them in a live setting. Which should be easy at least in she is really attractive. But she isn't very good on stage, uncomfortable, and her set seemed like a tremulous wiggle of a set reaching a personal worse with a cover of Cee Lo's "Fuck You".
Still, Eliza seems like the one that can break through at any stress level she feels like, and the serio-snarky Bridget Jone's diaryness of it all should capture the girls, while her short skirts and skates should enrapture the boys and the question is, well, why hasn't it?
Eliza's moment is passing as Lily begins to emerge from her retirement. I suggest she tour with Ed Sheeran… the "Red Hot" tour.