On her eponymous fifth studio album, Avril Lavigne is not leaving anyone disappointed. As soon as fans began to wonder about the singer’s absence, she popped back onto the scene, and her most recent release is a pleasant surprise. While Lavigne channels her old style on this endeavor — potentially leaving some listeners nostalgic for songs like her 2002 hit “Sk8r Boi” — she also experiments with new sounds, most of which work just as well as the old.
Lavigne sticks to familiar methods on the album’s first two singles, “Here’s to Never Growing Up” and “Rock N Roll.” These two tracks fully incorporate the musical characteristics for which Lavigne is known — so much so that the two can almost be confused for each other. The first, a pop-rock ballad that features the singer screaming about staying young, seems to typify the Lavigne brand and message. As Lavigne proclaims, “Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs / With the boombox blaring as we’re falling in love,” listeners are immediately transported back to the early 2000s. Although sometimes lacking creativity, the lyrics on Lavigne’s tracks are not necessarily underdeveloped. Rather, they seem to be her signature — intended to cater to fans’ expectations.
After the two opening singles, Lavigne wastes no time in demonstrating her musical versatility. “17” is an upbeat, catchy tune — a noticeable departure from her original, edgier fare. Reassuringly, while “17” sounds markedly different from her earlier ventures, classically nostalgic lyrics like “We were on top of the world / Back when I was your girl” make it impossible to forget the old Lavigne.
Unfortunately, Lavigne’s effort to channel this same fun-loving style doesn’t entirely work on “Sippin’ on Sunshine.” Quite frankly, it sounds as if she is desperately trying to sing a song that should have been done by Natasha Bedingfield. Sometimes Lavigne’s punk vocals can keep up with the energetic pace, but on this particular track, it seems that she would do better to return to her roots.
Perhaps some of the most standout tracks on “Avril Lavigne” are the more acoustically influenced numbers. “Bitchin’ Summer” and “Give You What You Like” both begin with skillful guitar introductions, eventually working their way into a quintessential Lavigne-esque chorus.
On “Bitchin’ Summer,” Lavigne takes a stab at the rap-style sound that many artists, including Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, have recently attempted — and, like the others, Lavigne would be better off avoiding this pop-rap genre. The sound negatively contrasts with the its beat, making for an overwhelmingly unsatisfying listen.
“Hush Hush” and “Let Me Go” both incorporate intriguing piano introductions, further showcasing Lavigne’s flexibility. “Let Me Go,” one of the two collaborations on the album, features Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger — news which, for some listeners, forecasted a definite disappointment. Sadly, those preconceptions are justified. Kroeger overpowers Lavigne, and “Let Me Go” ultimately sounds much more like a Nickelback composition than a Lavigne song.
“Hello Kitty” and “Bad Girl” are like nothing else on the album. “Hello Kitty” incorporates some Japanese lyrics with a four-on-the-floor beat and references classic games like Spin the Bottle and Truth or Dare. These tracks certainly stray from the typical Lavigne sound, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The same goes for “Bad Girl,” featuring Marilyn Manson. Although Lavigne would likely classify herself as a pop-rock artist, most of her pieces lean toward a punk style. This track, however, feels more classic rock than punk coupled with the subtle background vocals of Marilyn Manson. “Bad Girl” is definitely off the beaten path, but here, that comes as a breath of fresh air rather than as a failure.
“Avril Lavigne” listeners will not find a record completely composed of early 2000s nostalgia, full of songs like “Complicated” (2002) and “My Happy Ending” (2004). Instead, Avril Lavigne’s latest album introduces new sides of the artist that fans are sure to love.
