"The Anti-Britney"... "Punk"... "Poser"... "She just tries to be something she's not!" ... "I hate that girl"... "Avril is truly punk!" ... "Punks for Avril!" ...

AJDF;LKJA;LDFJA;LKJDF;LKAJDF!!

Many musicians are more commonly known for anything but their [gasp] music. It's sort of unfortunate in a way -- and it has always really, REALLY annoyed me. But it's how humans are, right? Nothing will ever change. To say that has worked for Canadian songstress Avril Lavigne's advantage would be 50% very true, 50% insanely false. Over the past few years, there has been an ongoing debate (don't people have anything better to do?) as to whether or not Avril is, ahem, a "punk" or a "poser". You know, I would be perfectly fine to never hear those two words again. They make me queasy, seriously. So, the controversy alone has made several people turn disgustedly at the mere mention of the poor girl's name. How annoying is that? But then again, adoring fans everywhere have done the whole stick-straight hair/tank top and baggy jeans thing for the sole reason of imitating Avril. Oh, the mystery of it all.

Me? Well, I heard Avril's first single "Complicated" around spring/summer 2002. I remember thinking that she had a nice voice: strong for such a young age, and she simply commanded attention (and okay, I'll admit that she unknowingly rekindled my interest in my straightening iron). In fact, I think that out of all the solo "pop/rock/songwriting/whatever" girls who emerged around that time (the others being Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton), Avril has the best voice. However, I've never been able to stand "Complicated" to be quite honest. So, to say that I was drawn into buying Let Go by hearing that song would be a complete lie. Yes, indeed - it took me a particular "Losing Grip" to convince me to pick this one up. I don't regret it at all -- Let Go is a really cool debut album more often than not.

About that power-boasting, annoyed "Losing Grip". It's the album opener, and easily, easily the best song on the album. The listener learns a couple of things immediately: (1) Let Go will not exactly have, uh, award-worthy lyrics (but it's one of those instances where you simply have to not care) and (2) the girl actually can sing. Sure, it's all subjective -- but it's nearly undeniable that Avril displays a vocal range that may just take you by surprise. Backed by Evan Taubenfeld on guitar, drummer Matthew Brann, and bass player Mark Spicoluk, Avril exercises these vocal chops for nearly four minutes. So begins the autobiographical lyrics so prominently displayed on the album. The medium-tempo hit single "Complicated" comes next, and while it will remind many of us about the two-faced idiots that we know, personally I have always found this to be a really annoying song. Maybe it's the choppy redundancy of it. Maybe it's the "no, no no" parts. Whatever the case, it strums and plods along in its own mess.

"Sk8er Boi" is pretty cheesy, but truthfully, I've never been able to hate it. And why even try to? It just has a vivacious, lively sound. Sure, it has hit-single written all over it, and while you might feel kinda like an idiot whenever you find yourself chanting, "He was a boy...she was a girl..." the song's quick, pure energy makes up for whatever it lacks. Third single "I'm With You" has an equal appeal to adult contemporary radio as it does to the teen audience. It's a wistful, lonely, light ballad that sets out to do not much more than be a sing-along song that invades AIM profiles, away messages, and Live Journals everywhere (it accomplishes its mission well). "Nothing's going right, and everything's a mess," Avril admits, "and no one likes to be alone."

"Mobile" is an immediate stand-out, with its dynamic and catchy chorus and flowing style. Avril expresses the potential downside of being a singer, and delves into the immediate change that makes everything different. "This sucks, gotta pack up and leave again," she mumbles, adopting a quirky, interesting vocal style here that is completely listenable. "Unwanted" is wonderful, and it's actually about whenever Avril met an old boyfriend's parents -- obviously they didn't like her. Boasting a chunky, fizzy alternative pop/rock sound and impressive drumming by Matthew Brann, there's a genuine confusion, sadness and anger that epitomizes the song's dark mood. It's definitely among Avril's best vocal performances, as she cries, "I just don't understand why you won't talk to me...it hurts." Once again, this song brings up the lyrical idea that Let Go chooses to adopt a very conversational, personal lyrical style that isn't out to impress with big, massive words and amazing rhyming -- and its simplicity actually works. So, potentially cheesy or boring lyrics don't really present themselves as a problem in the album in my eyes. Make sense?

Immediately, the simple, slow "Tomorrow" kinda reminded me of "I'm With You". Really, I like this one better though. It's just so feathery and reminds me of autumn for some reason. Avril's layered, harmonizing vocals here are really pretty, and the forlorn sound is chilling. The jumpy "Anything but Ordinary" brings back the more playful, tomboy-ish sound. When Avril was young, she sang along to many country-influenced tunes, and it's sorta evident in this song. Not in a bad way though. It's a song of confession and gives some more introspective into Avril's mind, and the struggle is evident. "Is it enough to love? Is it enough to breathe? Somebody rip my heart out and leave me here to bleed!" she cries, before eventually reminding us that she'd "rather be anything but ordinary, please."

Speaking of that sorta-country sound, "Things I'll Never Say" kinda revives it. Wasn't this on the soundtrack to some Reese Witherspoon movie? Anyway, I really love this song. It's just so honest and quite refreshing, and anyone who's ever been fifteen can probably relate to the frustration of not being able to say what you want, when you want, that Avril conveys so interestingly here. "I'm feeling nervous...trying to be so perfect, 'cause I know you're worth it," she stumbles. "My World" sounds really similar to "Mobile", with the strident, light guitar work. It would bear more momentum, it seems, if Avril pumped up her vocals a little bit more here, but then again, the confessional talk/sing style seems to lend itself to the song just fine. "I never spend less than an hour washing my hair in the shower / it always takes five hours to make it straight!" she admits.

Okay, "Nobody's Fool". Who are you and what do you come for? Well, to sum things up as fast as I possibly can, Avril, uh... raps? here. It made me laugh because 99% of the "cons" on many of Let Go's reviews list simply, 'she tries to rap'. And believe me, for those of you who haven't heard this song - there's validity to listing it as a con. It doesn't work. Avril goes along, insisting that she can't be pushed around and stuff, but I don't know how many people are going to take her seriously with this song. Just pretend it's not there. Something cool awaits us. Aha! "Too Much to Ask" is a breezy song that simply makes me sad. Isn't it annoying how personal experience can contribute to how much you love a song? Sigh. The simplicity of the song adds so much to the sheer pain of it, as Avril dejectedly realizes that this guy simply isn't worth her time. "Everytime I try to make you smile, you're always feeling sorry for yourself," she sighs, eventually giving up at the end, realizing that it was 'too much to ask' to get this guy to lighten up.

The album closer, the semi-ballad "Naked" is a somewhat forgettable song. Not horrible, not stupid, just...boring, maybe? The beginning guitar work reminds me a lot of "Losing Grip", except without all the zest and energy if that makes sense. Avril reveals the vulnerability of the beginning stages of falling for someone as she realizes, "I've never felt like this before... you see right through me and I can't hide." I don't mind the verses; Avril's voice sounds really nice, but the chorus kinda bugs and the song as a whole kinda drags, failing to build up to anything memorable.

Let Go gets a lot of criticism for elementary lyrics. So, upon first listen, that seems like the biggest problem -- but really, I've come to realize that in this case, I don't mind that at all, because this is a debut album that is so honest and refreshing. It's simply a look at a then-17-year-old girl's mind, the good, the bad, the confusion, the loneliness, the feelings of rejection. At least put aside the "IS SHE A PUNK OR A POSER?" preconceptions and give Let Go a fair try -- it's an impressive debut album that has a simple appeal to music fans who would typically listen to... uh, well, you know how it is with classifying Avril in a genre. I'm shutting up now.





Recommended: Yes