CD Review – Avril Lavigne
Goodbye Lullaby
RCA Records
I have never been a fan of Avril Lavigne. I’ve never liked her snarky “skater punk” schtick. She always came off as disingenuous. Her latest album has Avril in a little limbo, but still just as fake.
She came out as a 16-year-old anti-diva. She was nothing like Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson. So when she sings, “All my life I’ve been good/ But now, I’m thinking ‘What the Hell?’” it comes off as, well, flat-out lying. She’s always been the one to bend the rules. In fact the very next song, “Push,” she proves that her songwriting hasn’t grown up with lines like “How I could spend my life/ But I’m capable of taking care of myself/ So if you f**k this up then go take a hike.” “Wish You Were Here” is another light-pop number that will probably make the rounds on radio, but is pretty forgettable.
In fact, the majority of the album is forgettable. Lavigne tries to show that she’s grown up with generic songs like “Everybody Hurts,” “Not Enough” and “Darlin,” but they all come up flat. Then, to say that she’s “always been good,” while the next three songs have lyrics that need to be censored is rather insulting. Don’t pull the wool over on us, Ms. Lavigne.
Every artist has a transition album at some point and maybe this is it for Lavigne. But up to now, it’s obvious that her looks are what have brought her to this point. I think that she can write something with substance (she proved it with “Nobody’s Home”), but whether it’s her or the label, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely.
