"Contagious" by Avril Lavigne from The Best D—— Thing

Lazy albeit familiar-sounding singing greets my ear on this one. Thinking how to describe it for this review, I abruptly wondered, is that Avril Lavigne?

Lo and behold, it is she who sings this song. Thankfully, it's not so horrid as "Keep Holding On" on the singing, but she sounds like she doesn't care about what she sings, that she's just singing for the heck of it. She tries to hide it by sounding appealing, but I get a languid sense of the singer herself.

The stock upbeat pop rock doesn't help that, I guess. It's not bad, but it's definitely not anything notable. The music aspect's a fun listen when I need something upbeat to help me wake up. It's nothing special, though.

"Contagious" starts out with the okay story of how people tend to long to be around someone they're interested in but have no idea what to say when they are near to that person. But it, like "Girlfriend" of the same album whose name I've edited, this song devolves into a "give me a chance" to be your girlfriend, and "I can prove I'm right."

As the (edited) title of this album and its released single "Girlfriend" have demonstrated, the singer has no qualms about cursing and misuses damn twice in the lyrics. The statement that the boy makes her "feel so high" might also be seen as a drug reference.

Ulgh, good-bye Avril Lavigne. If I ever review you again, it'll be even more of an accident than this one was. In short, I'd advise she—or at least this last CD—be avoided.

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Lyrics: *1/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 2/5
Overall: *4/10

*The song curses.

"Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne from Eragon soundtrack

Yikes.

That's my thought as I listen to this song, and that's "yikes" in an "ouch" way. Moments make me really like how she sings, a few moments make me wince. Are you not aware of the words you're singing? I can't help but wonder when she sings with evidently so little emotion lines that should be some stronger. Picture "No, I won't give in" sung as passionlessly as if she's just sharing some information with the listener.

Her voice is a bit nasal, like is more common for country. Considering some of the other mixes I like, I'm not going to count off for an "odd" combination. In this count, they're culturally-based.

Musicwise, it's really average. In fact, it it gives me the distinct vague feeling I've heard this song many times before, though I know I haven't. (I'm a visual/kinesthetic learner; I'll randomly find myself singing along with a song I haven't heard in 10 years and can't remember where I know it from, but I'm still aware that I know it, somehow.)

The lyrics could be the perfect song for Eragon that they were intended to be had they been sung differently. (I'm speaking as someone who's only read the book.) Perfect song for Eragon, perhaps, but excellent in general, I'm not so sure of. What I do know is I don't want to hear this on the radio.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 1/5
Overall: 3/10

"Complicated" by Avril Lavigne from Let's Go

I'll admit, when I first heard Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" on the radio, I thought she was a country singer. (Oops!) Evidently, it was only that edition that I'd heard, since other recordings of "Complicated" don't give me that impression.

"Lay back; it's all been done before," the narrator says to her boyfriend. He's himself alone with her, but he becomes "somebody else 'round everyone else" "tryin' to be cool." She insists he should be himself rather than complicating everything and making a fool of himself. Be honest to who you are; that's life.

For a self-written song by a teen, "Complicated" is particularly good. Many her age would still find the "tryin' to be cool" cool. Avril Lavigne does assume that he's himself with her and not still wearing a façade, though. In retrospect, that assumption might be a hint of the unappealing prideful personality that appears in such later songs as Girlfriend.

While I still suspect Avril Lavigne's voice would suit country music, she does fit this song. Her voice in "Complicated" powerfully expresses her frustration and declaration in this pop rock song as the standard guitars and drums accompany her. The song's nice enough that you might be pleased when it comes on the radio, though you won't necessarily want to pay for it.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 7/10

"Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne from The Best D–– Thing

Okay, I admit, I edited the album title, but I'm not about to write out damn in that sort of context, or in any of the contexts that she says or refers to Hell in this song. Some have described the album as "bratty." If the single "Girlfriend" is indicative of the rest of the album, I have to agree with that assessment.

The gal doesn't like some guy's girlfriend and insists he needs "a new one": her. How much more shallow can you (or he) get? Some people have said they like this attitude 'cause the girl knows what she wants and is willing to go get it. I guess that's their perogative if they want to be selfish idiots who aren't interested in anything but what's in it for them. It still makes me want to yell "Grow up!" at those of my generation or a few years younger who live for that.

The selfish attitude in the song would be bad enough as a song premise, but there's more. The cursing I've already mentioned. "Girlfriend" is also horrendously repetitive. "Hey (hey) you (you)" comes every other line in the chorus.

Avril Lavigne has a nice voice for her music style (pop rock), but she destroyed her natural skill with a horrible song and attitude. I understand she writes her own songs. If that's so, I don't think I even want to buy one of her good songs; why add to her already oversized ego?

The music video for this single is pertinent to the song and "cool" on a teenage fun level. On a more meaningful level, watching her dance around in a short shorts, a T-shirt and fishnet stockings while making a fool of the girlfriend while she's stealing the guy only personifies a bratty attitude. Evidently, her unabashed definition of fun is what some people term a "good roll."

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Lyrics: *1/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: *4/10

*The song curses.