Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing
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CD Details
Artist: Avril LavigneBrand: Baker & Taylor
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2007-04-17
Model: 00886970377423
Music Label: RCA
Product features:
- LAVIGNE AVRIL THE BEST DAMN THING
- Girlfriend
- I Can Do Better
- Runaway
- The Best Damn Thing
- When You're Gone
- Everything Back But You
- Hot
- Innocence
- I Don't Have To Try
- One Of Those Girls
- Contagious
- Keep Holding On
Music reviews of The Best Damn Thing
Music Review: An Average Damn Thing
Rating: 3 Stars
Off the back of two already very successful albums, Avril Lavigne seemed well-placed to continue moving from strengths to strength. Unlike the darker material that featured prominently on its predecessor, Under My Skin, Avril instead geared this album toward live performances. In interviews, she mentioned her desire to create more upbeat music to counterbalance the rest of her moody material and make the shows more fun for her to perform. However, this did not come without its share of complaints, with many fans complaining that Avril had ditched her mature sound in favour of juvenile attempts to keep her teenage audience. Those who enjoyed her sophomore album tend to find this effort lacklustre, although fans of "Sk8r Boi" would feel right at home. In either case, the album once again proved to be widely successful, albeit it may not show Avril at her best.
Lead single "Girlfriend", reminiscent of the cheerleading standard "Hey Mickey", is an addictive track that occasionally borders on obnoxious. Here Avril proclaims that she can be better than someone's girlfriend, and tells him to leave the girl for her. While the track can get annoying at times, its energy and aggressive lyrics tend to keep it closer to catchy and enjoyable. Following in a similar vein, "I Can Do Better" is a fast-paced kiss-off track to a disappointing boyfriend. While it is a decent song on its own, it ends up sounding far too similar to "Girlfriend" when placed back-to-back, causing it to run together. Also, it should be noted that the uncensored version of the track sounds much better, without the "shh" noises in place of swear words. However, it is clear that Avril has fun with this one. "Runaway" is one of the better tracks, largely due to the chorus, although it is not the best the album has to offer. Here Avril succeeds at making an exciting upbeat track without it crossing over to become annoying. It's far from the best track of her career, but it serves its purpose for the album.
Title track "The Best Damn Thing" is another one that showcases Avril's abilities to make truly enjoyable pop tracks. Like "Girlfriend", it has a kind of cheerleader vibe to it, however in this case Avril lists the things she hates when a guy doesn't do. Her assertiveness and attitude on the delivery really sell the lyrics. However, the section in the middle where Avril spells out her won name ("Give me an A - Always give me what I want") is a little unnecessary. Artists really need to stop spelling their names in songs. "When You're Gone" stands out at one of the highlights, rather ironically considering that Avril's focus was on creating upbeat tracks for live performances. However, it is hard to ignore her sincerity when she sings about missing someone she loves. The lyrics are simple yet sweet, showcasing how Avril's strength lies in sincere and mature tracks like this. Unfortunately, the maturity does not last long. "Everything Back But You" is an immature yet funny song about receiving a postcard from a boyfriend where he mistakenly writes, "I wish you were her." While this is possibly the most juvenile track on the record, it is also one of the songs that is most convincing. One can easily see how Avril would have fun performing this well-crafted track.
"Hot", written with long-time songwriting partner Evan Taubenfeld, proves once again how well the pair works together. Again, the lyrics are not the most complex but the capture the meaning of the song well. The bridge is the best section, where Avril takes on a more subdued vocal style, pleading with a guy to never let her go. "Innocence" proves once again how Avril shines on the more mature tracks that the album has to offer, although they are few and far between. It is another track that attests to her and Evan's songwriting chemistry. This ballad is even stronger than "When You're Gone", although part of that may be due to the latter's being overplayed as a single. This is another track that shows Avril in a more vulnerable frame, where she sings about not wanting a partner to leave because she needs him. Ballads like this provide a nice contrast to the otherwise assertive, independent uptempo tracks. Unfortunately the streak of strong material comes to an end with "I Don't Have to Try." While the track is not all that bad, it comes across quite irritating in comparison to the rest of the material, particularly on the chorus. It also doesn't help that Avril's voice is nearly drowned out by the extremely busy production. Although some may not find this a bad thing, as Avril's voice becomes near squealing in a few places, and her screams toward the end do nothing to add to the track.
"One of Those Girls" is a thoroughly mediocre track that suffers mostly from weak lyrics on the chorus. The verses, however, redeem the track somewhat. Here Avril sings about girls who take advantage of guys, especially for their money. The track would not have been out of place on her debut. It's a fun track, although quite forgettable once the album is over. "Contagious" is another unmemorable track, although like the previous track, it is not particularly bad either. Again, the lyrics on the chorus are the real weak point while the verses are better. Both of these tracks make for enjoyable album tracks that pad out the tracklisting nicely but do little to stand out as individual songs. Finally, the album ends up with a bonus, "Keep Holding On" from the Eragon soundtrack. Although it has become somewhat overplayed (then again, what single isn't?), this is a beautiful track that shows off the other side to Avril's abilities. Her voice also sounds somewhat stronger here, providing another reason for it to end off the album on a positive note.
Overall Mark: 3.5/5
It's ironic that the strongest material on an album that prides itself on being assertive, aggressive and upbeat ends up being the more vulnerable ballads. While Avril is certainly capable of crafting fun tracks that would suit live performances, they do not necessarily lend themselves very well when put together as an entire album. Many of the fast-paced tracks tend to either bleed together or else become very irritating. It may be precisely this that allows for the three ballads to stand out even more in contrast. However, that's not to say the entire album is weak. Much of it is actually quite good pop material although it is doubtful that many of these tracks will later become regarded as highlights of her career. In fact, the upbeat tracks run the risk of becoming dated in a few years time. As a final note, it should also be mentioned that the uncensored version of the album is the better choice (for those who don't mind a little swearing), as the replacement of words (ie. with other lyrics, or simply with "shh") either renders the sections irritating, or else completely nonsensical.
Description of The Best Damn Thing
Limited Edition CD/DVD (NTSC/Region 0) pressing includes a bonus DVD plus five bonus audio tracks: 'Alone', 'I Will Be', 'I Can Do Better' (Acoustic Version), 'Girlfriend' (Mandarin Version) and 'Girlfriend' (Submarines Remix). The bonus DVD features four songs filmed live at the Orange Lounge ('Everything Back But You', 'Girlfriend', 'Hot' and ' When You're Gone') plus three music videos ('Girlfriend', 'When You're Gone' and 'Hot'. Sony/BMG. 2007.The first clue to the sound of Avril Lavigne's third CD, The Best Damn Thing, comes in the form of her kickoff single, "Girlfriend," which is filled with singing, clapping, and cheerleader-style chanting. The song is quite a sonic contrast to her previous disc, Under My Skin, which was considered to be Lavigne's more mature follow-up to her 16 million-selling debut CD, Let Go. Like that debut, The Best Damn Thing will be largely and deeply embraced by teenage girls, and is packed with songs that will create enthusiastic sing-alongs in concert. There are a handful of numbers that will appeal to a wider audience; "Innocence" and disc closer "Keep Holding On" would both fit perfectly in a Gray's Anatomy episode, while the sultry message and solid harmonies in "Hot" will appease ears of many ages. Lavigne's husband, Sum 41 frontman Deryk Whibley makes an appearance as producer and instrumentalist on a handful of tracks; their union, however, seems to have bred more than love. "I Don't Have to Try" and "Everything Back But You" both have a frenetic pace and chorus that is so eerily Sum-like that if they weren't married, a copyright lawsuit might ensue. That aside, the record oscillates between lyrically acerbic fare ("One of Those Girls," "I Can Do Better") and fluffy sugar-pop melodies ("Contagious," "The Best Damn Thing") delivering far more spunk rock than punk rock. --Denise Sheppard
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