So, the young lady returns after a lengthy sabbatical away from the limelight! What she’s been up to in the interim (apart from getting hitched to Sum 41’s Derek Whibley) is really anyone’s guess, but it rather sounds like she’s been listening to her first album over and over, because this third offering, regardless of its ambitious title, isn’t quite the best damn thing it promises to be! To her credit, Avril has come up with a hell of a hit tune in opening track Girlfriend. It kicks in with all the right ingredients, that’s for sure, although these have evidently been recycled off her early smash hit Skaterboy.

Clearly, Avril has made a sharp U-turn and reached back for the sound of her debut album, pretty much discarding the deeper trails of her less commercial sophomore offering, Under My Skin. Whether the change was influenced by her husband’s involvement and/or perhaps a desire to recoup her teenage fan club is debatable, but the fact that much of this record leans towards a sugary kind of pop rock strongly supports this theory. On the other hand, the few ballads present here, namely Innocence, When You’re Gone and Keep Holding On, hint that she has kept a hold on all of her options. In the end, however, the album leaves much to be desired, as she ironically points out herself in song number two, I Can Do Better! I agree.

CD COURTESY OF Exotique