allegra: dream house & comic book luv.

dl: ALLEGRA - Dream House (Z - YSI)
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You've probably realized that I have no shame if you've been reading this blog long enough. Even if I'm a Katy Perry loathing pop music elitist, I've been known to rock out to Ashley Tisdale when nobody is looking. When nobody is looking? I suppose it should be clarified that when I say "I have no shame", I mean that if you caught me engaging in such rocking out...I would curl up into a little ball and cry. Or I'd just tell you about my alter-ego. She is a teenage girl named Boulangerie, the lost little sister of Beyonce and Solange Knowles. She is the ultimate excuse for my affinity for all things grown men should be ashamed of loving. Keep her in mind as you read this post.

Allegra, a 17 year-old from Chicago who is fortunate to not be named Valtrex, has found a special place in my...um, Boulangerie's heart. I received an e-mail about her new single "Comic Book Luv". On this tune, our heroine calls for a man who's "strong like the Hulk" to love her, lamenting that she's "so sick and tired of evil villains" toying with her emotions. Sure, one could consider this a little contrived, but let's keep in mind that the subject matter is appropriate for a 17 year-old girl to sing about. However, The Gift's production on this song is a little too "grown & sexy" and inappropriate, recalling the baby-making, hip-gyrating properties of "Bed" (J. Holiday) and "Falsetto" (The Dream). On one hand, this is a compliment, as The Gift's production is (overall) on par with such in-demand producers as Tricky Stewart and Polow Da Don. But the other hand realizes that there's nothing Lolita about Allegra's comic book fantasies, unless one considers the line "I can be the Robin to his Batman" as a reference to butt secks. Jokes aside, this is a refreshingly age-appropriate track for a young singer, and it appears that Lil Mama and Teyana Taylor have some competition.

With all that said, "Comic Book Luv" wasn't the song that won me over on Allegra. Two other songs were in the e-mail I received, "Get Wit It" and "Dream House". The latter chronicles Allegra's quest for the Ken to her Barbie. She has everything (a dream house, small waist, closet full of clothes, etcetera), but the one thing missing from her life is a man. Okay. Obviously this isn't the most conceptually mind-blowing song and it's contrary to the whole "I don't need a man to be happy" mantra established by Destiny's Child and similar groups in 1999-2000, but Allegra admits it---"I'm real, not realistic". Truer words have never come out of a teenager's mouth in reference to the general teenage population. Practicality isn't a teenage forte. Some teenagers can have everything, but the absence of one thing---whether it be the latest sneakers, that blouse from Anthropologie, or (in this case) a significant other---can signal their own personal apocalypse. Wait, I'm getting too philosophical about this, and it ain't that deep. This song is just awesome because it makes references to Aqua's "Barbie Girl". Sadly, this isn't the first time "Barbie Girl" has been mentioned on this blog. And I blame Boulangerie.

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BONUS TRACK: ALLEGRA - Comic Book Luv (Z - YSI)
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