Fefe Dobson sounds like a poodle. Or a manicured, prim 'n' proper Hilton sister reject. But that's just her name.

Her music sounds like Avril Lavigne.

Dobson, of course, is Canadian. Rumor says they're slipping something into the water up North, because all the poseur-punk chicklets as of late have hailed from the land of the maple leaf: Lavigne, Dobson, the women of this summer's not-even one-hit wonder Lillix and um, yeah, that's about it. That's probably enough for most folks.

But me? I could take more. Then again, I'm a sap for commodified girl power, which is what Fefe really represents, at least to this riot grrrl.

To you, she's probably just another Hot Topic ditz with TRL dreams whose guitar-playing skills pale in comparison to that frat guy who entices chicks with drunken renditions of John Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

Dobson supposedly co-writes her own music, which is cool, but, yo, want a cookie? Anyone could string together some power chords with the help of a drum machine and Tom Lord-Alge, who has mixed albums for basically every pop power since the late '90s.

Not just anyone, however, can pull off that sexy snarl Dobson sports in the video for her first single, "Take Me Away," a brawny, attitude-challenged love ditty that has been floating around MTV for several weeks.

Dobson claims influences like Kurt Cobain and Judy Garland, but I think she's just a confused 18-year-old who has suffered at the hands of those manipulative A&R reps who keep promising her she's the unique, original, creative Next Big Thing.

Her self-titled debut is schizophrenic at best, sometimes thrashing like a female-fronted Blink-182 ("Stupid Little Love Song"), sometimes tip-toeing into Mandy Moore's mid-tempo ballad territory ("Everything") and usually cocking her studded-belt-wearing hips like Lavigne after binging and purging on The Offspring and The Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Unforgiven" and "Give It Up").

Then there's a really weird appearance by rapper Tone-Loc, of "Wild Thing" fame, on "Rock It Til You Drop It."

Back to my proclamation that Dobson is some respectable symbol of pop femininity, because that's where her real appeal and potential for longevity lies. Dobson is sexy but not slutty. She likes Nirvana. And you must admit the girl has sass to insist she's an "artist" who scribes her own lyrics and tunes even though that whole "co-writing" technicality laughs in the face of her declaration.

Plus, she's black.

This may seem ridiculous to point out, because it's not like I'd call attention to that fact that Britney Spears is white, but take a moment to answer this question: When was the last time you saw any women of color playing their cards in the punk or rock scenes? Our classification-happy culture tells us we must stick with the spheres allotted to our race, gender, religion and sexuality, but Dobson's debut claws at that detrimental societal constraint.

If she were a dog, in fact, Dobson would probably defy her prissy poodle-esque namesake and kick it as a Doberman Pinscher, challenging all in her path with a fierce bark, a fiercer bite and, yeah, a manicure to die for.