Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
"Anything But Ordinary", Sep 15 2009
It was very easy to get sick and tired of teen-aged girls singing dance-pop as there seemed to be an endless supply of them for several years. Finally we have a new artist playing rock, and while one might be tempted to give it high-marks for that alone, the fact is Avril Lavigne earns high praise for her debut album, "Let Go". Avril Lavigne was just 17 when she released this album in 2002, and while it isn't perfect or anywhere near the best rock album ever, it certainly was a breath of fresh air.
The album opens very strong with "Losing Grip", "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi", and "I'm with You" which are the four main singles from the album. The fifth piece, "Mobile" was also released as a single, but only in Australia and New Zealand. Though these are all singles, there is still a fair amount of diversity in them. "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" both have a bit of a Teen Pop feel to them. "Losing Grip" is a heavier piece, and "I'm With You" is a ballad. "Mobile" is a bit of a reach as a single, but is a decent piece and falls somewhere in the middle. Next up is "Unwanted" is another heavier piece, and gives the album some depth with a solid piece which is clearly not a single. "Tomorrow" is the midpoint of the album and one of the weaker pieces on the album, but still not a bad song, and once again it offers a bit of diversity from the harder style rock which is what most of the album is.
"Anything But Ordinary" brings the quality back up, and starts off a string of Teen Pop songs. "Things I'll Never Say" falls into the same category somewhat, and is another solid contribution to the album. "My World" is another teen angst piece, and continues with the Teen Pop feel of the second half of the album. "Nobody's Fool" brings some more diversity to the album, with some mini-rap sections by Avril. It is one of the weaker pieces on the album, but one can appreciate the attempt at having more than one sound. "Too Much to Ask" is another weaker piece, but as with all the pieces on the album it isn't bad and doesn't detract too much from the overall effort. "Naked" closes the album and is a little stronger than the preceding two pieces, but overall the second half of the album isn't as good as the first.
This is a very strong debut album for Avril Lavigne. She co-wrote all the songs, some of them with Clif Magness, others with a group called "The Matrix", a couple with Sabelle Breer and Curtis Frasca, and then one with Peter Zizzo. There is a fair amount of diversity in sound and her voice suits all the pieces well. Overall, this album falls somewhere between 4 and 4 stars.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Avril Lavigne Has Got To Let Go!, Jun 1 2008
Okay, for a decade of mini-clones, this one isn't half bad. After mini-Madonna (Britney Spears), and mini-Mariah (Christina Aguilera), here comes a delightful mini-Alanis.
Album Cover: 4/5
The cover shows Avril in a defiant pose on top of a fuzzy background that is so similar to Alanis' "Thank U" video. However, looking at this cover, I cannot help but realize how short she is. But she is very cute.
1. Losing Grip: 4/5
This is a great song with a catchy melody that Avril's voice seems to be born for. Her voice really accented this song to make it something more. However, the last four repeated chorus' were so loud and repetitively boring that they brought down this song's rating.
2. Complicated: 5/5
Who has not heard this song? This song is so addicting, and Avril's smooth, crisp voice delivers it so well that you cannot help but sing the song over and over and over...
3. Sk8er Boi: 4/5
This song is something Avril should be proud of. This jab at peer pressure and love with a "sk8er boi" is fresh and satisfying. However, it gets repetitive, which made it lose some of its charm.
4. I'm With You: 4.5/5
This song is so mature for someone so young. Avril's voice does not really fit with the song, and the song's instruments are a bit messy, but it all comes together for a rainy, torchy ballad.
5. Mobile: 3.5/5
A really catchy song! However, Avril semi-raps are a bit cheesy, as with the "hanging from the ceiling, life's a mobile" lyric.
6. Unwanted: 3.5/5
Avril's stale lower register actually works on this song, but it is not really anything special.
7. Tomorrow: 2/5
I really love the first verse where Avril says "But I don't", but after that, the "Hey, yeah-ye-yeah"s get really boring.
8. Anything But Ordinary: 3/5
The melody's okay, but the chorus has me feeling that she's a bit naive and crazy.
9. Things I'll Never Say: 3.5/5
I really love the chorus on this song, and the idea is very original. She sounds relaxed and amused, which only added to the charm of the song.
10. My World: 4/5
This song is very unique, and Avril's personal jabs at past enemies have me laughing out loud. The melodies and the chorus are awesome, and Avril's cheesy rapping is just... never mind.
11. Nobody's Fool: 3/5
The song is okay, but the way Avril sings them make me want to laugh. For a song like this, you are better off with Kelly Clarkson's "Never Again".
12. Too Much To Ask: 3/5
I love this line "Is it too much that I asked for", but she doesn't say it often enough!
13. Naked: 1/5
This song is downright embarrassing the way she keeps repeating "I'm naked." over and over again.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Since its release, this has sold over 16,000,000 copies worldwide.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Let Go, Feb 29 2008
I actually didn't buy this album until after I bought Let Go, so looking at it in a sort of artistic retrospect I can see that it's musically and lyrically immature compared to Under My Skin. However, it is incredibly catchy, happier and more upbeat. Oh yeah, and by the time you buy the album you'll probably already know half the songs.
Songs:
Losing Grip: 6/10. The lyrics are incredibly bad, but it's got a nice chorus and it *is* catchy.
Complicated: 7/10. This is actually a really great song, but it's so overplayed that you get sick of it.
Sk8r Boi: 8/10. This song, though also overplayed, tells a great bratty story and the guitar riffs are cool.
I'm With You: 9/10. This song is lonely and sad sounding, but it's also very pretty and fragile.
Mobile: 6/10. Awful verses, awesome chorus. A total filler song.
Unwanted: 6/10. We're suddenly hit by a power rocker, and it's a bit of a shock after all that rock-pop.
Tomorrow: 6/10. This song is slow and acoustic, with the same kind of vulnerability and sensitivity as "I'm with You", but it lacks the catchiness of that and ends up simply a 'nice song'.
Anything but Ordinary: 8/10. This song is insufferably catchy...but the 'succulent...i wanna taste it' part is embarassing, and the lalala voices in the background are weird.
Thing's I'll Never Say: 12/10. This song is my absolute FAVORITE, I would practically have bought the album just for it, it could make 3 stars by itself. It is completely accurate in expressing how unrequited unspoken love feels, and resonates completely.
My World: 7/10. This is a cool song, but it's sorta strange. Avril's voice sounds funny, and some of the lyrics are awkard or seemingly irrelevant (what else is new?) but some of them are also funny, and for some reason you listen to it again and again. Maybe that's because it's about something unique, not just another "boy-angst song".
Nobody's Fool: 4/10. Oogh. I hate rap in the best of cases, and she can't even rap to begin with.
Too Much to Ask: 8/10. Other than some dumb lyrics in the verses (until you chose weed over me/you're so lame) it's got an interesting combination in the chorus: anger and sensitive sadness at the same time. Oh, and there's a great line in here too, surprisingly: "you can't see the world through a mirror"
Naked: 7/10. It's an okay song, but even though she sings about being vulnerable and transparent, she isn't really, not as much as in other songs.
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