Oh, Avril Lavigne. Our favourite Canadian tomboy turned palm tree-hugging, glossy cover girl. The big fat rock on her finger would suggest she’s all grown up, but if that’s the case, The Best Damn Thing just left me damn confused. This album might be an easy target for crusty critics, but the finer points are worth acknowledging . . .I guess.



Love it or hate it, this album will breed some catchy singles. Case in point: “Girlfriend”. You might cringe when you hear it (or hate yourself for wanting to dance), but in the vein of “all publicity” being “good publicity”, the song has made its mark. Clearly, Lavigne knows her market (primarily girls 11 to 17), and can still relate to them and offer a product they’ll want to buy into. Is this me awarding 3 stars for consumer exploitation? No, because I don’t think Lavigne simply had dollar signs in her eyes while making this album.



Lyrically, The Best Damn Thing is proof that you can make something out of very little. Any maturity life has afforded Lavigne is lost on this album, which is fine, if you’re willing to listen to the musical equivalent of bratty tantrums. Travis Barker on drums (“I Can Do Better” and “Runaway”) helps create some semblance of street-cred, but then Lavigne goes and does her best Brody Dalle on “I Don’t Have To Try”. And it’s pretty bad.



I’m not 100% sure what she’s doing with this record. I’ve heard her say in interviews that she just wanted to make something fun. If this was indeed her intent, I think she succeeded—hence the three stars. Now, if she said she was out to create Grammy material, we’d have a problem. What you have to love about Avril Lavigne is that everything she does is done with conviction. You might not love what she’s doing, but there are millions out there who do—and she knows it. I don’t know if I’d call it The Best Damn Thing, but it is what it is.





Girlfriend

I Can Do It Better

Runaway

The Best Damn Thing

When You’re Gone

Everything Back But You

Hot

Innocence

I Don’t Have To Try

One Of Those Girls

Contagious

Keep Holding On