Lavigne

The Best Damn Thing
$9.99
...I like this album a lot-its a lot more fun than Under My Skin which I thought was dreadful-draggy vocals and mediocre. She definitely suffered from the sophomore slump. Avril's best is still her first-Let Go which had hit after hit! Each song was good on its own. BDT is fun, as is Girlfriend, I Can Do Better, Hot. I don't like how she sings When You're Gone-I feel like she sounds a bit sarcastic rather than pasionate. That could just be because of Avril's bratty image. I feel this album is girlie and fun and immature. I rather she stick with this style than go back to Under My Skin boredom style for the next album but who knows. I do feel that she can do better and yet I'm happy with what I have.

Let Go
$9.99
I never had much interest in this musician until 2009, when she had faded in popularity a bit. There had been little buzz surrounding her at the time, but I still heard her on the radio from time to time. It was her song I'm With You that drew me in. I may not have always liked her, but I always liked that song. It prompted me to ignore my peers and just listen to her albums. I've been hooked ever since.

I actually wouldn't consider Let Go to be a pop album. What is pop anyway? Avril has her own unique voice and style of music, which often has a sort of rock/pop/folk sound to it. I would classify her genre as Avril Lavigne. Her lyrics, while simple, convey their meaning well. They aren't all that complex, but they also aren't so complicated that no one can understand what she's trying to say. And if you take up issue with her lyrics, just keep in mind that she was still a teenager when this album was released.

It's true, her music isn't for everybody. She is both loved and hated by the public. I'd recommend listening to this album (or at least some of the songs) by some other means, and then if you like it, buy a copy. A lot of my favorites of hers were the songs I never heard on the radio. It's simple. If you like her music, buy this album. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. But I ask you to listen before you judge.

Under My Skin
$8.99
"Under My Skin" may not be as good as Avril Lavigne's first album overall, but there are some strong pieces here and it is not too big of a drop from her debut. In particular the slower pieces are weak by comparison with her first album, and there isn't as much diversity in sound. This album was released on May 24th, almost exactly two years after her debut, and almost three years prior to her third album.

The album opens with some good tracks. "Take Me Away" has got a good edge to it, though the lyrics are a bit vague. It leads well into "Together" another solid piece, though it isn't quite as good as "Take Me Away" in my opinion. "Don't Tell Me" is the first single from the album, and it has a good strong message for young teen girls about not letting boys pressure them into going farther than they want to. "He Wasn't" is about a failed relationship, which fits right into a good portion of this album. It has a catchy chorus, but it is probably the weakest of the opening four pieces and yet still fairly good. "How Does It Feel" is the first example of the weaker slow songs. It is fairly forgettable overall. "My Happy Ending" is my personal favorite on the album, and a good closer for the first half of the album.

"Nobody's Home" opens the second half of the album, another good piece. The video focuses on the idea of being homeless, but one can also take the lyrics as emotional isolation. "Forgotten" starts a bit slow and soft, but the sound builds through the first chorus. It adds a bit of diversity in sound with its different approach, but it isn't anything special. "Who Knows" is another decent piece, but nothing especially memorable, and a few too many repeats of the word "yeah" making it almost sound like a parity of herself in parts. "Fall to Pieces" is another weaker song on the album, good for one listen, but not something I would listen to over and over again and lyrically it is fairly weak. "Freak Out" is a nice return to some rock. Ultimately it isn't as good as the best tracks on the album, but it benefits from its placement after several weaker pieces. "Slipped Away" is another weak slow song, though perhaps the best of those available, which isn't saying a lot.

This album has several good pieces, but overall it doesn't hang together as well as her first album. It lacks the diversity of the first album, and what little it has tends to be in the weaker efforts on the album. The first half is significantly better than the second half, and even though this is a step backward for her, it is still a bit above average as far as albums go.

Avril Lavigne Heart Adult Black Tee T-Shirt, XL
$29.99
An awesome 100% cotton preshrunk juniors T-shirt Available up to XL!