I'm sad to say that I judged Avril Lavigne, that I did not give her the decency of at least listening to her music before I cast her to the wind, wrote her off as another pop-tart trying for a top ten song. When her first single, "Complicated," attacked top 40 radio waaaay back in September, I decided, just like most others, that her music was fake, wannabe punk trash played by Britney Spears in skater clothes with a guitar propped up against her. My theory on Avril was only reinforced when the video (in which Avril and her "skater" band mates crash the mall and terrorize a walking hot dog) debuted on MTV and found an immediate home on the mothership of all that is trendy and inordinately commercial, TRL. Thirteen-year-olds worldwide embraced Avril's meticulously premeditated image of "bad-rocker-skater-girl rebel."
Of course I jumped at the chance to slaughter Avril's music and
everything about her. But I never really gave her a chance, did I?
Never having given her CD even a first look, I found it in my
sister's closet one day and decided to take it for a spin. What I
found was life-changing. After experiencing this truly inspired
piece of work, I finally feel like my miserable, meaningless life
finally has a purpose. Like I am finally understood. JUUUUUST
KIDDING!! What I found here, for the most part, was a half-assed,
jumbling piece of plastic (sometimes called an "album"; not in this
case) full of songs that by definition "sound like shit."
The first song, also her latest single, "Losing Grip," is a terrible way to start off a CD. Among the top five worst songs on Let Go, "Losing Grip" starts off sounding like Papa Roach and Alanis Morisette got drunk and decided to collaborate. Number seven, "Tomorrow," sounds like it belongs on a different album altogether. This song sounds like Avril listened to a Michelle Branch song and decided to imitate that, only watered it down with ugly-sounding vocals and breezy strings, so as not to overshadow the rest of the crappy songs on this CD. Perhaps the worst song on this CD, possibly the worst song IN THE WORLD, is number eight, "Anything But Ordinary:" "Sometimes I get so weird/ I even freak myself out/ I laugh myself to sleep/ It's my lullaby." Who would write those words? WHO?
There is one pretty good song on this disc. Number five, "Mobile," sounds like it's influenced by early Jewel at the beginning, with just Avril's voice sounding surprisingly Fiona Apple-y, and a plucky acoustic guitar (which I really hope Avril is playing). It then explodes into a more rocking but perfectly poppy sounding chorus worthy of (and sounding like) Sheryl Crow at her almost-best.
I'm really hoping that Let Go is a product of the record company, like one of those albums that singers have to do, just to get their music out there. Maybe Arista came to Avril and said, "We'll sign you, but you have to record our choice of songs first, and make this totally stupid waste of time album and be this totally attituded-out, over-calculated Barbie Doll for us. Then, on your second album, you can record the music you actually like that probably won't bring in as much money as your first release." I heard that happened to Pink, she came out as this R&B hood-rat whose race was somewhat of a mystery, then she released "Misundaztood," and heyyyy…that was a great one wasn't it? No. It wasn't.
Anyhow, I haven't given up on Avril, that little goose. Hopefully we can see more quality music and less of the "Sk8er Boi" look in the future.
| I've never heard this CD, and her name only rings a bell in my head. But I find this review to be uneccessarily mean.A review is supposeed to be an opinion on the likeability of the music."I jumped at the chance to slaughter Avril's music and everything about her" says a lot about your credibility as a reviewer. Remember "what goes around comes around". One day someone is going to jump at the chance to slaughter everything about YOU EMILY KINSSELLA! It will be well deserved. |