Lily Allen performing live.

Credit: AP Photo/Joel Ryan

Sometimes, it seems like Lily Allen can't get out of her own way.  Almost every day, there's some new story in the U.K. press about Allen's antics. Luckily, in the U.S. ,  her music shines brighter than public persona, especially on her excellent new album,  "It's Not Me, It's You."

Bolstered by first single, "The Fear, the Capitol Records set is a collection of smart, catchy pop songs that perfectly highlight Allen's sweet vocals that are so smooth, it's almost possible to ignore that she's often spitting venom.

I interviewed Allen a few weeks ago for AOL. I've linked to that Q&A.  Given what I'd read about her, I expected a spitfire who had a pithy answer for every question.  Instead, I got a very low-key, quiet Allen.  She answered everything I asked, but often with clipped, short sentences.  Only later in the day, did I learn she and her nemesis, gossip blogger Perez Hilton had been engaged in a Twitter war that morning-perhaps even during our phone interview. Hilton didn't come up during our talk, but Katy Perry, who had insulted Allen earlier did. However, Allen was quick to say that she had buried the hatchet on their feud.

Despite her restraint, Allen still revealed quite a lot, including her biggest fear: "I guess dying alone, maybe? I don't think about it a lot, but if I think about what I'm most scared of, that would probably be it," she says.

On the album, she also takes a lousy lover to task on "Not Fair," a hilarious indictment of a man more concerned with his own pleasure than that of his mate. When asked what most men do wrong when it comes to lovemaking, she says "lack of foreplay."

But it's not all fun and games with Allen, she says, despite her larger-than-life character, she can be a homebody. "I very much enjoy baking cakes [laughs]. I play Scrabble a lot. I paint my nails," she says. 

Allen starts a new headlining March 14 in Glasgow.  The U.S. portion starts April 1 in San Diego.

Watch Lily Allen's video for "The Fear" here:

Are you the only one of your friends without a Wii? HitFix wants to give you a chance to win a Wii console player, a Flip digital camera or an iTunes gift card. Show us your entertainment know how and enter the Knowing movie contest today.

Want more music news and analysis? Sign up now for HitFix Blog Alerts  and get The Beat Goes On in your inbox every day.

Don't stop the music! Click here   to add The Beat Goes On to your iGoogle, My Yahoo or My MSN experience today.

Not part of the HitFix Nation yet? Take 90 seconds and sign  up today.