Best Damn Thing - Deluxe Edition (CD+DVD)

 

 

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If you like the song "Girlfriend" a lot, and I mean a whole lot, then the limited edition CD+DVD of "The Best Damn Thing" from Avril Lavigne is probably for you. Out of the 17 tracks on the CD, three of them are versions of "Girlfriend", and if that isn't enough, then you will also have three video versions on the DVD. For me, this was much too much in the way of "Girlfriend". No doubt it has a catchy tune and the cheerleader like cadence to it is somewhat appealing; but the lyrics are juvenile and mean spirited. I am sure there are many who like this piece, given how much airtime it received, but for me it is only so-so. The lyrics might have been okay when Avril Lavigne was 17 and fresh on the scene, but a 22-year-old should have put high-school behind her. This leaves me with a rather mixed reaction to the song, and that carries over to the whole CD+DVD set as well.

"The Best Damn Thing" is Avril Lavigne's third album, and was released on April 17th of 2007. The opening track is the aforementioned "Girlfriend", though since it is the "Mature" version it includes some rougher language than what one sometimes hears on the radio. The second track is "I Can Do Better" and the obvious retort is that she definitely can (and fortunately does) do better, starting with the very next track. "Runaway" is where the album begins for me; it is the kind of song you want to hear from her, and it makes the listener remember how nice it was to finally hear some pop music with a rock base to it as opposed to the dance oriented offerings of so many others., "The Best Damn Thing", and "When You're Gone" are two more strong tracks which help make the opening two pieces a distant memory. This brings us to "Everything Back but You". One might think that I wouldn't like this song after bashing "Girlfriend", but I find this to be one of the songs I like the most on this album. I suppose it is because she is the person wronged and so when she lets loose with the name calling it is more acceptable, and when it comes down to it, it is a flat out hilarious lyric.

The second half of the original album opens with "Hot". It is decent, though not quite up to the level of some of the other pieces, and in particular to that of "Innocence" which follows it. The album then hits a brick wall with the horrible "I Don't Have to Try", which is easily the worst song on the album. I can appreciate that she is trying different sounds and styles, but this one just doesn't work at all. Things improve with "One of Those Girls" though it isn't as strong as the earlier pieces - it is much better than "I Don't Have to Try". "Contagious" is roughly similar in quality as "One of Those Girls". "Keep Holding On" is a decent closer for the original album, but the flow which had developed from "Runaway" through "Innocence" had already been disrupted and was not restored.

There are five bonus tracks included; the first two are "Alone" and "I Will Be", both of which are solid additions to the album, and the latter being the better of the two. Next is an acoustic version of "I Can Do Better" which is much worse than the electric version, and one has to wonder why that particular track would have been selected for an acoustic version. The final two tracks are two additional versions of "Girlfriend", the first being The submarines' Time Warp '66 mix, and the second being the Dr. Luke remix with Lil Mama, the latter of the two being the more interesting of the two.

There are two sections on the DVD, the first is a series of live tracks including the wonderful "Everything Back but You", "Girlfriend" (of course), "Hot", and "When You're Gone". The second section is the videos, which includes "Girlfriend", "When You're Gone", "Hot", and (you guessed it) "Girlfriend" - the Dr. Luke remix version with Lil Mama.

With nearly a quarter of the selections on the CD and DVD combined being variations of "Girlfriend" it is no wonder that one might have had enough of it by the time one has made it to the end. I am sure that it appeals to an audience which buys a lot of CDs, and that is no doubt why it is featured so heavily. In my opinion that is a shame, because Avril Lavigne may well have much more to offer if she is allowed to develop and grow as a songwriter and performer. There have been promising signs on all her albums, and let us hope that she moves in a new direction before she finds herself singing songs like "Girlfriend" in her 30s and 40s to a bunch of people trying to recapture their youth. This is an uneven album, with highpoints as good as anything Avril has done, and then there are some moments which make one cringe inside. All-in-all it is slightly above average, though I have to round it down to three stars.

Amongst her many claims to fame, Avril Lavigne is probably the only person so far to have included the word 'lemincello' in one of her songs - 'I could Do Better', for those that are interested. Although slightly 'poppier' than her previous album, 'The Best Damn Thing' definitely rocks and songs such as 'Everything Back But You', 'Contagious' and the aforementioned 'I Could Do Better' give her the chance to show that there is still an edge underneath all that glittery pink stuff. Elsewhere, ballads such as 'Innocence', 'When You're Gone' and 'Keep Holding On' are heartfelt and beautifully performed, whilst the life-affirming yet bittersweet 'Runaway' really should have been a single.

This 'Deluxe Edition' also includes a DVD containing a strangely engrossing documentary following the making of the album. Avril's energy, enthusiasm and vision shines through and as well as being a genuine insight into the recording process it is funny to see how Avril has the various producers wrapped round her finger, as they fall over themselves to please her - one of them even allows her to spray him with Mace for heaven's sake!!!

All in all, a vibrant, uplifting album, although the explicit language on a couple of tracks (and throughout the DVD) might well make it unsuitable for her younger fans. Having said that, teenage girls the world over will love this album, as will a great many others, I suspect. Mind you, having just watched the DVD, wouldn't a better title for the album have been 'So, like, totally the Best Damn Thing'?!!!!! Just a thought...

Ok, the first two albums are better than this, but this is still a great album to listen too! I have listened to it quite a few times now since I bought it on release and it has grown on me even more. There are some songs on here that do sound different from what she has done on the previous two albums, and like one reviewer said, there is maybe a little Sum 41 sound like in one or two, but there are some big tunes on here that sound great and similar to her old stuff. When your gone, best damn thing, hot, runaway, keep holding on, innocense and everything back but you are all great songs. This album is very good and I know some people have gave it 1 and 2 out of 5 stars because shes changed her style on this album, but I feel shes only changed a little bit but the album is still decent to listen to and it is Avril Lavigne! Some people got to learn that one or two songs that are different doesn't mean its a bad album, but in my opinion there isn't a bad song on it, but there is one or two that are different from what she has done and isn't as good as the previous albums or the songs I mentioned earlier on the album, but its still a good album and there should be a few more number ones for her if she releases the songs that are stated above in this review because they are very good songs to listen to! She is a great singer and has many talents. Please be aware that there are two versions of the ablum, one that has no swearing in it, and one that allows swearing, which is this album. But this is stil a 5 out of 5 star album because like I have said, there is some very good songs on here that will grow on you too! Go buy!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Most Excellent
The album was for the wife as she is a big Avril Lavigne fan and I can tell you she was not disappointed

Published 13 months ago by G. J. Perkins

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
After reading some of these reviews a while abck, I took the plunge bought it. SO glad I did, I really love this album, its fun and frothy, but has a solid heart of pink, I mean... Read more

Published on 6 July 2008 by Emma

5.0 out of 5 stars Avril Lavigne Is The Best
Avril Lavigne's Previous Albums Where Awesome 10/10 Love Every Song She Sang Love It And The Best Damn Thing 10/10 The Best Damn Thing I Ever Heard

Published on 22 Jun 2008 by Ben Williams

1.0 out of 5 stars One step up...and 3 steps back?
Oh dear....oh dear...oh dear.
Cast your mind back a couple of years.
Avril released 'Under My Skin'. An exceptional album. Read more

Published on 17 Jun 2007 by Kenneth Hosick

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Album
I bought this album recently and I now own all three albums by Avril Lavigne which I think are all exceptionally good albums by one of my favourite artists whose music I have... Read more

Published on 29 April 2007 by Michael Birch

5.0 out of 5 stars READ THIS
Avril Lavigne the best damn thing rocks!!!

1.Girlfriend 10/10 (NEVER SKIP)
A brilliant opening track which really get you in the avril mood. Read more

Published on 21 April 2007 by Jax devileye

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Damn Thing [Debatable]
In my opinion this album is not as good as 'under my skin' however, it is a completely different approach she has used. Read more

Published on 18 April 2007 by C. A. J. Williams

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