| Let Go | 2002 |
| Under My Skin | 2004 |
Post your comments about Avril Lavigne
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
I'm sure this is the one EVERYONE has been waiting for - me reviewing Avril. Yeah, so I like Avril. I named my fish Avril. I have a picture of her and a poster here in my dorm room. So friggin' what??? To judge by some people's reactions, both online and offline, you'd think my enjoyment of Avril was on the same level as an endorsement of bestiality.
But why all the controversy? Why does this one cute little chickie from Canada draw such fire? It's image, image, and more image. Avril is a talented pop-rock musician who happens to dress like a skater/punk. So effin' what??? I buy music, not image. Who gives a rip what she wears or what social group she espouses as long as the music's good? Are punks so insecure in the punkness that they have to rag on anyone who likes their clothes but fancies making music that a majority of people enoy? Dislike Avril because you don't like her music, not because she wears "punk" clothes and makes music that hits the pop charts.
Now that I have my soapbox speech delivered (and will likely get flamed for it, but oh well), I would like to add that I by no means worship Avril Lavigne or this, her debut cd. Her lyrics blow. I mean, Sk8ter Boi??? C'mon! Trite, trite, trite and trite once more for good measure. That's my least favorite song on the entire cd and by no means did it deserve the acclaim it received. Maybe the story sums up the entire POINT of the cd - don't judge people by their social position or their choice in clothing, but by their character. It's unfortunate that this message is spread by banal lyrics, but it IS at least a worthwhile message. Other Avril flaws? She should NOT rap - it is the most Caucasian flow I've ever heard and is so bad it's funny. However, the chorus of the said rapping ditty (Nobody's Fool) is pretty catchy - surely worthy of a better fate than being attached to a lame flow.
Upsides? Most everything else. Complicated, while by no means a lyrical masterpiece (but is anything here???), is a catchy song that deserved its massive airplay. It's what turned me, and a lot of other folks, on to Avril. Speaking of being turned on and Avril, I must confess that I think she is BEYOND being a fox. Why, this one time, I dreamt that she and I were going camping down by the Guadalupe, and she.....(this portion censored by the management).
Fantasies aside, other musical winners here include I'm With You (also known as It's A Damn Cold Night), the cold and rockin' Losing Grip, the pleasantly poppy Things I'll Never Say (which also features some lyrics that tease the male listener by sounding like invitations to oral sex), the honest Naked (rrrrrr, feisty!), and the suburban boredom and honesty of My World. Of course, none of the material is lyrically excellent, but the melodies and vocal performances are excellent. And for those of you who don't think Avril's a babe, take a look at her official website - http://www.avrillavigne.com Some of those pictures just get my motor runnin'.......rrrrrrrr
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COMMENTS
You've just invoked the fires of hipster hell on yourself. You DO realize that, don't you?
Have to agree on the babe comments, though. She is a fox.
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
Well, THIS is different from what I expected from Canada's finest export! When I discovered back in January that Avril would be releasing a new cd at the end of May, I assumed it would be a re-tread of the first one, and lead single Don't Tell Me helped on this count. Don't Tell Me would've fit FINE on the first cd, but I can't say the same for most of the others songs here. You see, between Let Go and Under My Skin, Avril decided to get majorly pissed off at the world, males, and life in general. I guess all that "she's a pop singer pretending to be a punk - what a poseur!" talk really, well, got under her skin, so she decided to add a lot more butt-kicking to her sound. A lot fewer "sissy" acoustic guitar moments like on Let Go. Also, Avril ditches the diva-light vocals that showed up on Let Go and sings like she wants to rock and roll all night - except unless you mean that as a sexual innuendo, in which case she wants no part.
That's one thing that definitely gets your attention while listening to this cd. Don't Tell Me pretty much gives it away that Avril is the new champion of female chastity, or if not chastity, then at least being 100% in charge and in control of sexual dynamics in a relationship. Don't Tell Me, despite its easy-to-swallow pop-rock sound, has a message totally contrary to the general statement made by women in the music world. The Donnas sing about wanting to go to the backseat, Liz Phair wants you to give her your "HWC" (I'll let you figure out that abbreviation on your own), and Bristina Spaguilera parade themselves around like whores, but Avril flat-out says "did you think that I was gonna give it up to you?" and "the fact you're arm is now around my neck will get you in my pants - I'll have to kick your ass and make you never forget."
I don't know whether Avril Lavigne is a virgin or not. I don't know if she's concerned about chastity or if she's concerned about female sexual empowerment. However, I do know that she has the proverbial balls to swim absolutely upstream against the prevailing sexual message sent by popular music today, and for that she deserves props - even if you hate Avril and her music, she's earned credibility by her sheer guts and tenacity.
This whole cd is a testament to individuality and independence. Let Go had moments of vulnerable clinginess; Under My Skin has ONE song that even comes close to expressing such a position (the extremely catchy Fall To Pieces, which is a definite highlight here). Nope, Under My Skin either revels in freedom or blasts the male sex (or, more likely, a specific guy or two) for working overtime to shatter the good Ms. Lavigne's existence. However, He Wasn't combines the two into one power-packed (if trite) declaration - I won't be mistreated by a lousy guy and waste my life crying over him because I'm better than that. Having seen plenty of girls date assholes and get treated like crap, I wish that more of my friends and acquaintances had Avril's hard-earned sensibility.
I'm not going to delve much deeper into the individual songs - they're all decent-to-good (with one or two GREAT moments, like Fall To Pieces) pop-rock...a little harder kicking than on Let Go, but then again, so is Avril's message. Last time, she told us to be ourselves, and she upholds that on Under My Skin. However, instead of the sunny-times, all's well message of Let Go, this one is the determined voice of one who's apparently had all of those sunny-times take a vacation for a while, but still wants to hang on to her independence and identity. In an increasing soulless society built around conformity, all I can say to Avril is (to use her words) keep it up - "freak out, let it go."
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