Published on May 16, 2003
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.