Avril Lavigne, an 18-year old singer from Napanee, Ontario (Canada), is one of the most popular singers out there today. She skyrocketed to fame immediately after her first album, Let Go was released in North America. She has set a very different tone - a huge change from the regular cutesy-baby-pop culture that most teenaged singers bring into the music industry.
Avril is a rocker-ish, tomboyish young woman with a dogged ambition to stay true to herself. While other pop stars dress in scanty, scandalous clothes, Avril wears shorts and faded old t-shirts. She has completely distanced herself from the life of the ordinary. She’s been nominated for dozens of awards and won them too (totally swept away the Junos in Canada). Here’s a review of her album, Let Go.
1. Losing Grip
This song starts off the album with a rather heavy rock background. Her voice is slightly indignant, angry, and outspoken all at once. The lyrics refer to a girl retaliating to her boyfriend about how bad he made her feel. A nicely done song, although not quite my style, and not the best on the album.
2. Complicated
This is, hands-down, my favourite song on the album. You’ve no doubt heard it on the radio or television - it’s chart-busting. Why is this song so famous? Because it’s hummable, that’s why. The song has a fabulous beat, catchy lyrics, and Avril sounds like she’s having a ton of fun. The lyrics are about a girl telling her boyfriend to stop being pretentious - a concept that can certainly apply to couples today. I love this song - very well done.
3. Sk8ter Boi
I refused to listen to this song for the longest time because of the title - really, Avril shouldn’t be butchering the English language. Would it kill her to say ’Skater Boy’? But my irritation aside, this song is pretty cool. With pretty heavy background music and a hard-hitting drumbeat, the music itself is enough to make you like this song - but the lyrics are what make it a clincher. This is one of those few songs that actually tells a story - in this case, about a woman who turned down a man because of the way he looked. The story is unique, the music perfectly complements it, and Avril sounds great. Nicely done.
4. I’m with you
Another favourite song - this is simply beautiful. Slightly slow (without being sappy), this song does full justice to Avril’s voice. She sounds hurt, heartbroken, and supportive all at once. The chorus is beautiful - she pulls it off wonderfully. A must-listen song for sure!
5. Mobile
Another great song, but this time, her voice is backed up by an array of instruments and sound effects. The chorus is very hummable indeed, and Avril sounds great as usual. I apologize if this is getting redundant, but I really don’t know what else to say about this song.
6. Unwanted
Another nice song with a hummable chorus, but a tad reminiscent of ’Mobile’ and ’Sk8ter Boi’. I really don’t have anything else to say.
7. Tomorrow
This is a song where Avril really ’sings’. By that I mean that she’s not yelling the lyrics out or just saying them - she truly sings this song. The background music doesn’t drown out her voice but complements it. She sounds quite vulnerable and sad in this song - a contrast to her regular tough-as-nails character.
8. Anything but ordinary
Deja vu? Uhh...I don’t think so. This song sounds almost the same as ’Tomorrow’. A nice song in itself, but it’s quite redundant.
9. Things I’ll Never Say
Avril turns around to impress with this song. Starting off with some country-sounding wacky music, Avril’s voice dominates and totally redeems her misses. She sounds youthful and energetic - another hummable song about (quite obviously) the things she will never say.
10. My World
I’m running out of things to say - another foot-tapping song, but nothing special (and by nothing special, I’m comparing this song to her best - so it’s still pretty darn good).
11. Nobody’s Fool
Another nice song (!). Very well done, the chorus is unique, and Avril sounds great.
12. Too much to ask
A mixture of vulnerable-Avril and tough-Avril, this song is a good track, but once again, nothing special.
13. Naked
Nope, this song isn’t about nudity or sex - it’s a simple, down-to-earth song. Well done, I have nothing much to say about it.
Well, there you have it. I know I kind of fizzled out towards the end, but there isn’t a whole lot to criticize. If you hate cutesy-pop but can’t stand hard-core rock, this album is for you - it offers a nice medium. Avril has hit fame but doesn’t let it go to her head. She’s still down-to-earth, sure of herself, and just plain tought-as-nails Avril - and she has a remarkable album to mark her name.
Hope this helped. I don’t think I’ll do any more album reviews, I really have nothing to say. ;)
If you want to listen to samples of Avril’s songs, or see more information about her, go to https://avril-lavigne.com