Review Summary: Avril Lavigne's sophomore effort is not briliiant. To say the least, it was a tad bit disappointing for people who kinda maybe enjoyed her first album, Let Go, like me. Aside from the more gloomy and "mature" lyrics, this record is very much the same as h
Under My Skin starts off with 'Take Me Away'. It all sounds melodic in the beginning until the chorus comes and her half-screaming, half-gasping voice kicks in. Almost too soon for this, eh? This track is, undeniably, a bad song to start the album with. It sounds very draggy and her wails that plead listeners to take her awaayyyy.. are extremely annoying.
Then, we are brought into the second track, 'Together'. Avril's vocals are exactly like what listeners dreaded. The half-wailing, half-melodic voice that she's used in the disaster of a song, 'Take Me Away', is featured again, here. Don't get me wrong. I love Avril's near-aggresive sounding voice but halfway through this song, I really wished she could just shut up.
Thankfully, she changed her direction a little and made way for a more playful sound in the tracks that follows. 'Don't Tell ME' was like a relief for me. After near six minutes of pure torture, the beggining of this track is so pop-ish, I started to reconsider that J.Simpson album a little. "He Wasn't' was even better. No more of those moody lyrics that were everywhere in the first few tracks. Yes, this is only the fourth track and I don't really want to heap praises on number 5 (i.e.- How Does It Feel) because in my humble oppinion, the lyrics here are trash. and i love trash lyrics that are good. but THIS is real serious garbage.
When Avril first came back into the spotlight to promote this album, she said lyrically wise, it was more mature and when she looked back on her "My World" DVD, she admitted to thinking that it was her acting like sh**. Like, TO-TAL-LY.
But, hold on.
Her lyrics here are no better, if not worse. It lacks that creativity that shone through Let Go and here, it's mostly music that sound the same, add in a few "mature" lyrics and there you have it. Avril's new album. I'm afrid it's not that easy to grow up in this industry. Her lyrics here seems pretentious and sometimes you just wish she could quit the complaining and actually give you something worth the listen.
Not to say that Let Go was the album of the century, though. It had a few unmistakable flaws for a debut, but it was acceptable because it was creative and original. It had more variety.
Sad to say, variety isn't in Under My Skin.
I'm not gonna elaborate more about the other tracks. I was going to, but thought better of it. After all, this album is so repetitive, it makes you wonder if you had accidenatlly sat on the remote and pressed repeat.
What are the few decent songs, then? Well, 'Nobody's Home' has some certain guitar riff to it that's almost convincing + 'Fall to Pieces' is the one song towards the end that didnt sound awful. 'Freak Out' is your typical childish "punk-ish" song and 'Who Knows' had some really terrible lyrics to it. Its bridge is extremely annoying to listening ears.
All in all, this album is not worth your $$$. Save those bucks for J.Simpson.
