Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (Under My Skin - Avril Lavigne)

Member Name: ManUtdBoi

Product:	Under My Skin - Avril Lavigne
Date:	13/10/04 (439 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: everything

Disadvantages: nothing

Regardless of what you wish to call her, punk, pop, rock, punk-pop, pop-rock etc, Avril Lavigne is an incredible artist that whether you like it or not, will be around for many years to come. So you may say that many artists bring out a debut album that flies off the shelves, and you'd be right. But how many of those artists follow that up with a great second effort ?

I'll use Linkin Park for an example. I'm a huge fan of theirs and absolutely loved Hybrid Theory, but after the release of their second album, Meteora, I found that they had become repetitive and if anything, the overall quality of the work had dropped rather significantly. The same threat has been in Avril Lavigne's face ever since her debut album, Let Go, sold about 18 million copies during 2002-3. The difference between her and Linkin Park, is that she has produced a follow-up that could easily go on to surpass the sales of her debut effort.

Record Label - Arista
Release Date - May 25th 2004

Whereas Let Go is more of a happy-feeling pop record, Under My Skin ventures more to the roots of Avril's favourite bands, such as The Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day. It is a record of pure quality that also shows her maturity as a song-writer aswell as improvement to her vocal ability. On Let Go, her voice was average, and sounded like the 17 year old that she was, but on UMS her voice sounds far beyond her 19 years and shows the effort that she has put in to her overall sound.

If you've heard Let Go, then you know that Ms.Lavigne does base her music around the relationship side of things, and UMS is no different. 'Don't Tell Me' is an anthem for the girls, about not getting into bed with the first guy you come across. So if you don't wanna end up seriously depressed, then I shall warn you now.

As far as songwriting goes, regardless of how many times Avril told us that she wrote ALL the lyrics to ALL the songs on Let Go, we know that she didn't. For her second-coming she enlisted the help of fellow Canadian, Chantalle Krevuziak, in giving her tips on her writing. This partnership came up with an incredible 8 songs in just one night and seemed to instantly click as friends. Avril has also broken away from her production team, The Matrix, and for UMS she got together with producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Linkin Park).

Tracklisting

1. Take Me Away (4/5)
2. Together (5/5)
3. Don't Tell Me (4/5)
4. He Wasn't (5/5)
5. How Does It Feel (5/5)
6. My Happy Ending (5/5)
7. Nobody's Home (5/5)
8. Forgotten (2/5)
9. Who Knows (3/5)
10. Fall To Pieces (4/5)
11. Freak Out (5/5)
12. Slipped Away (5/5)
bonus track - I Always Get What I Want (5/5)

The bonus track 'I Always Get What I Want' is probably the nearest to punk that Avril gets. Its a very upbeat, fast-paced song about (if you hadn't guessed) getting what she wants. I would say that whereas most bonus tracks are generally a waste of time, 'I Always Get What I Want' could easily have been worth getting an official slot on the album itself and I personally would have picked it ahead of 'Forgotten' which just doesn't suit Avril's voice at all.

Aswell as Chantalle Krevuziak, Avril also co-wrote with ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody. Lavigne and Moody penned the tune Nobody's Home, which will be the third single from the album, and is due for release in October after the conclusion of Avril's UK tour. I believe that the help that Avril has sought on her songwriting, can only be beneficial to her future career as she will pick up things much quicker than she may possibly have done if she had worked on her own, or with inexperienced songwriters such as herself.

As another reviewer said, it is the second album that makes or breaks your career, not the first. The one problem for Avril is that she risks possibly loosing fans, because where Let Go was basically a pop record with a hint of rock, Under My Skin is a rock record with a touch of pop. I however, believe this to be a better choice for Avril because as we all now, the vast majority of pop acts become stale and eventually fade away, whereas Avril is intent on making herself well and truely heard.

Singles taken from the album

1 - Don't Tell Me
2 - My Happy Ending
3 - Nobody's Home (not out yet)

For me, the best song on the album is 'Slipped Away', a touching ballad that Avril wrote about her recently deceased grandfather (and for her to be able to go out on stage every night and sing that without crying, makes her a tough individual). Of course she has to take all the haters that say shes 'not punk' and that 'shes fake', well my answer to those people is listen to this record. No. she may not be punk, but she is an exceptional musician who with time may go on to be one of the all-time greats like Alanis Morissete (you expected me to write an Avril Lavigne review without mentioning Alanis).

Similair artists

Michelle Branch (www.michellebranch.com)
Lilix (www.lillix.com)
Katy Rose (www.katyrose.net)
Ana Johnson (www.anajohnson.com)

The packaging of the album is rather simple, a neatly produced booklet containing lyrics to all songs. It also includes a mini poster of Avril in the center of the booklet aswell as assorted pictures of her dressed in an variety of differing outfits. It gives you a much darker feel them Let Go, as it is produced in dark colours compared to Let Go's bright feel.

Just like Let Go, UMS does have its mix of heavy songs mixed in with her customary ballads, difference being UMS is more about the heavy songs than the ballads, which on Let Go, were more in force than anything else.

So even if you don't like Avril personally, and you believe her image to be 'fake', just give her music a listen, because regardless of personal opinion, she is a fantastic artist and if UMS is anything to go by, she will continue to go from strength to strength and be with us for a long time yet.

WARNING - the album is 'apparently' copyright protected. I say apparently, because I have managed to succesfully copy it on 3 ocassions without any problems. Also it doesn't play on all forms of CD player and may only work on certain PC's. Also a percentage of the sale price goes to the War Child Canada Fund, which Avril has previously worked with on a War Child compilation out last year.

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