Goodbye Lullaby

Avril Lavigne has got staying power. She is still amongst us!
Her 2002 debut 'Let Go' was the kind of rumbustious bundle of
post-punk-pop which, however infectious, showed little promise of
a long shelf life for its bright and breezy teenage perpetrator.

Almost a decade later and Ms Lavigne has indeed endured and with
her fourth album, 'Goodbye Lullabye', I, for one, am very glad
indeed that this should be the case. It really is a cracker!

Of the thirteen tracks on the standard CD edition there is not a duff
one among them. The trademarks which we have come to know and love
are all present and correct. From the feisty-but-fun cheerleader shouts
of 'What The Hell'; through the darker shades of 'Not Enough' (surely
one of her finest performances) and the upbeat romantic sentiments of
'I Love You' (my own favorite by a mile and a half!) with its gloriously
simple but shining chorus, it is never less than a true pleasure to listen to.
The sum total of her efforts have culminated in the strongest
and most enjoyable album of her career so-far.

Ms Lavigne's voice has deepened a little with the passing years.
It suits her well. At times I sensed the benevolent shadow of
Alanis Morissette smiling at her from the wings (especially in
the turbulent lyrical flurries of 'Push' - another winner!)
urging her on to greater heights and maturational gravitas.

'Goodbye Lullabye' is a wake-up call to the doubters and disbelievers.
(Scatty and Gritz - the cubs - think she looks lovely in her photos too!)

Highly Recommended.

I've been waiting for this album for quite a while now so wasn't sure if it would meet expectation but it actually passed. Its a fantastic album and even beats her masterpiece Under My Skin. The first track is Black Star which is only a 1 and a half minute intro which introduces the rest of the album and her vocals are very beautiful on it. Next song is her hit single What The Hell which is a great catchy and fun song with great vocals. Next song is called push and is about a trouble relationship and features her friend and ex-guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. Its probably my least favourite track off the album but still good and you don't need to skip it. Wish you were here is a beautiful yet catchy song with amazing vocals. Smile is super catchy and fun. I love her voice on this track and it actually makes me want to smile and be happy. The next song is called Stop Standing There and has a cool 50's vibe and is about wanting something to happen between 2 people instead of just standing there. The next song I love you is a very beautiful song about her love for that special someone and once again her voice is very beautiful and you can really beautiful in it. After that is my favourite song Everybody Hurts to me this song is perfect in so many ways. Everyone can relate to it and her voice is perfect. The next song is Not enough which is a great song and I love the inro. 4 real is a great song that Avril wrote and produced on her own. I love the lyrics and the way she sings. Its really catchy as well. Darlin is a beautiful song Avril wrote when she was 15 and the vocals are very beautiful and it feels like shes actually singing it to you. Rememeber When is a very personal song about her divorce to Deryck Whibley and once again shows off her voice and the lyrics are so honest. Goodbye is a very beautiful song with what are probably her best vocals yet and is very personal. You can really hear the emotion in her voice and the string arrangement is amazing. To finish the album off is Alice which is a great rock ballad thats very relateable. This album is perfect. I love the raw production and raw lyrics. Her voice is beautiful and this album is her best yet and my new favourite album ever.

As somebody who has followed Avril's career from the beginning, loving the kind of sound she produces without being blind to her limitations, I was a bit worried how this fourth studio album might turn out. Having spent a day playing it on closed loop, I'm now reassured that it's quite ok.

With the trademark mixture of broken-voiced vulnerability and shouty assertiveness, the album resembles the first two ones more than the silliness of best damn thing, which I think is a good thing. Conversely, if you didn't like her early work, you probably won't like this either.

There are three songs co-written and overproduced by Max Martin and Shellback, which are the ones I like least. On a fourth track, MM and Shellback had a go at a more acoustic style, which isn't quite as bad. One of the four MM tracks, What the hell, has already been released as a single, and I fear the other three will follow.

But by far the best damn thing about this album are the songs that Avril wrote on her own or with guitarist Evan Taubenfeld, including Everybody hurts, 4 real, Darlin, and the two lullabies framing the album. I'm hoping we'll get to hear more of this Avril on the rocks in the future.