Album Review: Avril Lavigne's 'Avril Lavigne'

Yay new music time!! :) Always makes me happy to have a new album to discover.

 

As it happened I actually downloaded this whole album while I was in New York this past week and only got to listen to it as we were flying back from Toronto.

 

Loved jamming out to this with the beautiful sun as a view

 

So I did what I always love to do with new albums. Listen to them all the way through, no skipping songs, just going pure through the album. I believe that the artist made it that way for a reason.

 

Kind of want to try the makeup ;)

 

So the first song was the first released, 'Rock N Roll', and it's a very fun, poppy song for Avril. Has the occasional swear word which makes it 'grown up pop'. While I really do like this song, it kind of confuses me when it comes from Avril. She seems like she's doing the pop thing when she used to do grunge-worthy songs. It's an interesting transition to me. I don't think it's her selling out, probably just reinventing herself :).

 

The next few songs are like this. Typical pop songs about growing up, great summers and being '17'.

 

This kind of changes with song #5, 'Let Me Go', which is a duet with her new husband, Chad Kroeger. I fell in love with the strings on the intro of this song and actually didn't even realize it was Avril until I heard Chad sing his part when I first heard it on the radio! I like this song, it's grown up for the album.

 

The next two songs are bondage-y(?). I think having a duet with Marilyn Manson is an interesting addition to this album. Especially with his semi creepy intro telling us to lay our head in daddy's lap because we are a bad girl. I like the rock factor on this song. Especially when it's cranked on the stereo and you are cruising through the city like I did this weekend.

 

The next song reminds me of my friend Heather because she loves Hello Kitty and that's exactly the title of the song. It has a semi Gwen Stefani 'Harajuku Girl' vibe to me. Very interesting sound for Avril and what she's given us before.

 

The last 5 songs are the ballad-y songs that most artists usually end their albums with. It's a semi music pet peeve of mine when they do this. But that's the way it is.

 

On the chorus to #9 'You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet', Avril's vocals semi remind me of another famous Canadian grunger Fefe Dobson. I get a 'Bye Bye Boyfriend' vibe off of it. It's kinda cool!

 

I really liked the versatility of this album and am glad it wasn't as dark and depressing as Avril's last outing 'Goodbye Lullaby'.

 

It's nice to see that Avril is in a happier, more loving, more light place.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

-M.