When an artist whose best piece of work to date is the song "Complicated" names its newest masterwork The Best Damn Thing, you know it's got to be good.
Pardon the sarcasm. Sometimes it's too easy, and this qualifies as "sometimes."
Avril Lavigne's newest effort, likewise, is too easy. It's too easy to listen to, too lightweight, too vapid. It's too trite, too sugary, too indistinct from Gwen Stefani, Michelle Branch or any of Lavigne's pop queen peers.
On the rare occasion that Lavigne flexes her faux punk-pop muscles, as on the hit single "Girlfriend," she borrows heavily from the '80s Toni Basil hit "Mickey" -- bouncy drum beats, hand claps, cheerleader chants and all. The only difference is that Lavigne drops an f-bomb and that her producers spice up the mix a bit with sonic flourishes that transition the song from figure to figure.
The song is catchy, and though it makes heavy use of repetition, the variation within the song is enough to keep it from dragging.
"Girlfriend" is the exception to the rule.The rest of the album is a watered-down version of this song, making use of the same aggressive drumbeats without the solid melodies. She promises "I Can Do Better" on the second track, but she fails to make good on her promise.
The Best Damn Thing delivers Lavigne's signature punk-girl style that made her stand out, but it lacks any actual punch, settling for trite screaming and haphazardly throwing expletives into the mix.
The unedited version of this album has a Parental Advisory label on it. This fact alone says everything that needs to be said about the album. It's hard enough to take Lavigne seriously when she's singing about being pissed off at a boyfriend or a dude she digs, but it's even harder to take her seriously when she peppers the songs with f-bombs. Does anyone believe that this woman, who seems to be happily married, is that angry about a guy she likes running around with another girl?
It'd be unfair to point out that she is the woman who recorded the song "Sk8er Boi," and she's not allowed to curse now because of that. That's not the point. The point is that Lavigne's music is too trite and bubble-gum, and that injecting it with shouts of "I'm angry!" is just plain stupid. Grade: D-
-- Reviewed by Kevin Doran
