For anyone who may be a devoted Avril Lavigne fan, such as myself, her latest album may have come as a subtle surprise. I know I’m surprised.
Her first album, “Let Go” had a clear theme: rebellious, fun-seeking, energetic and a somewhat angry teenager on the loose. This is the album for showing the finger to rules, for running wild in shopping malls and pulling down your angry-at-the-world oversized cargo pants in public to sit on a toilet-sale display. (video-alert: Complicated)
Avril Lavigne’s second album, “Under My Skin” loses the fun. She’s still the angry teenager, but that’s about all there is. It was an album that I dearly connected with at the time of my life and it’s still my ‘hormonal music’ when I need it from time to time! I would love to know what was going on in Avril’s life during this era– what would inspire such solid aggression and despair.
The third album to hit the shelves, “The Best Damn Thing”, brought back a renewed energy, the same rebellious spirit as “Let Go”, and an almost arrogant confidence, but this time with an element of grown-up independence. Along with this newfound freedom, one senses in this album a period of self-discovery. It’s pink, it’s girly, the cargo pants are long-gone, replaced by some styling, sexy, yet still punk threads. Avril literally blossomed. (See how her style has unfolded here)
Which leads me to the great surprise of “Goodbye Lullaby”. The two songs that I had heard on radio prior to buying the CD were Smile and What the Hell, and I was assured by this that this would be another epicly fun and rebellious album. I was overflowing with expectation when I first put the CD into my sound system… and flabbergasted by the end.
As it turns out, Smile and What the Hell are the only two fun and rebellious songs on this album, and the rest are… mellow? And beautifully sad. I was immediately mystified about what could possibly be happening in Ms. Lavigne’s life to inspire such deeply introspective music. So I looked into the timeline. Within a month of finishing her Best Damn Thing tour (Nov 2008), Avril began working on her 4th album. By July 2009, most of the tracks were already recorded. On 17th September 2009, Avril announced her separation from childhood sweetheart, Deryck Whibley.
A-ha. There it is. The story behind the music – and knowing this gives me a greater appreciation of Goodbye Lullaby. It took me a few “replays” to get used to this new Avril Lavigne, but it’s grown on me, more so than any of the previous albums, which is saying a lot. I have an increased respect for this young woman, who can create her art so honestly and transparently, that without even knowing her personally, the listener can deeply sense where she is in her journey of life. That’s my kind of music.
So kudos to Avril for having the guts to do something different – you’ve inspired confidence in your fans that you can master just about any genre you need to. (just don’t go country on us. Ever.)
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