Since "Let Go" titillated with no effort, expectations for its successor were extremely high. Most singers would crumble under this kind of pressure, but not Avril Lavigne, she fires again fresh off the heels of her 2002 blockbuster and does it with full confidence. Releasing an album so quickly after its predecessor might lead to the assumption that the quality would have declined, but such is not the case with "Under My Skin"; if anything, this album surpasses its predecessor.
While "Let Go" was indeed hit-ladden, it still seemed like the diary entries of an awkward and sophomoric 17-year old. And Avril was quick to admit that even she wasn't prepared for its massive success, so with an earnest debut out of the way, why mess around the second time out? Avril avoids the sophomore slump with an album that's more well-rounded and less random than "Let Go". While it's also depressing, the unadulterated hard rock and heavy emotions make "Under My Skin" a smoother listen as well. It begins with the cool "Take Me Away" and jumps right into "Together" with its synths and foreboding darkness. Much of the album is structured like these two tracks; this time there is no light-hearted pop like "Complicated" or the slow string driven "I'm With You", instead, we have the junky thrill of "He Wasn't" and the beautifully haunting "Forgotten". As the title proves, "Under My Skin" features an Avril who has found her niche, and is continuing to develop her style. To achieve this, she ditches the Matrix and Max Martin, who penned most of her debut, and works with fellow Canadian songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk to reveal more of Avril Lavigne, the person, not the pop product. Together, they craft an addictive album with instantaneous hooks, and while no song here is light in any way, it's more personal. This album offers something for any imaginable audience. "How Does It Feel?" will definitely ring with the outcasts, "Fall to Pieces" captures the anxiousness of love nicely, and "Freak Out" is the perfect party anthem. And in true Avril fashion, she ends this already depressing album with "Slipped Away", a heart-wrenching ode to her deceased grandfather. But this sad note also reveals the brilliance of "Under my Skin" as a whole: while it is more personal than her previous work, Avril has managed to create a fantasic rock-pop record with messages that are intensely relatable. She offers no apologies for who she is, and while she aimed to please her own musical ambitions, she has still managed to give her fans chicken soup for the soul in the process. And it's safe to say this is the first time where listening to an album drenched in depression can be easy listening all the same.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Take Me Away 2. Together 3. Don’t Tell Me
4. He Wasn’t 5. How Does it Feel? 6. My Happy Ending
7. Nobody’s Home 8. Forgotten 9. Who Knows?
10. Fall to Pieces 11. Freak Out 12. Slipped Away
No comments:
Post a Comment