It's been a minute since Avril Lavigne dropped her last album back in 2007. Following some label drama, she's finally dropped her fourth studio album Goodbye Lullaby. A mixture of her second & third albums Under My Skin & The Best Damn Thing, respectively, Goodbye Lullaby is arguably the best display of Avril's talents thus far.1. "Black Star": This intro/jingle, if you will, for her fragrance of the same name is pleasant enough.
2. "What The Hell": The album's first single & one of the pop-ier songs on it, this uptempo is incredibly infectious & definitely one of her better singles. 5/5
3. "Push": One of the more stripped-down tracks on the album, it's a slightly less-polished, but still great display of her vocals. 4.5/5
4. "Wish You Were Here": As was "What The Hell", this song was produced by Max Martin, who, whether she likes it or not, is her musical soulmate. This midtempo is at least one of, if not my absolute favorite song(s) on the album. 5/5
5. "Smile": This uptempo, Max Martin-produced pop song finds Avril on top of her game. 5/5
6. "Stop Standing There": Avril's just jamming on this one & I'll gladly enjoy the ride. 4.5/5
7. "I Love You": Two words: Max Martin. What can I say? 4.5/5
8. "Everybody Hurts": Another solid track. I love her vocals at the end! 4/5
9. "Not Enough": This song is gorgeous, especially the chorus. 4.5/5
10. "4 Real": I actually don't love the chorus on this one, but it's alright & the verses make up for it anyway. 4/5
11. "Darlin'": Only Avril could get away with singing a song that she wrote when she was 15. 4/5
12. "Remember When": I appreciate the piano at the beginning. I also love how the song builds as it goes along & the way Avril sounds on this one. 4.5/5
13. "Goodbye": Another great example of what makes this album so good: Avril's voice shining through simply beautiful music.... & the strings at the end are everything! 4.5/5
That's not to say, of course, that Avril doesn't shine with big music behind her. I mean, the extended version of "Alice" that is included here as a "hidden" track (even though it's listed on the back cover of the CD...) is not only a perfect example of that, but something that I really needed too! That's probably my only complaint about the album--that she was trying so hard to avoid the uber-pop that was found in "Girlfriend" that she didn't even give us much in the way of "Alice"-esque material. That said, Goodbye Lullaby had me noticing Avril's outstanding vocal talents more than ever before--even though my personal favorite album of hers remains the slightly more consistent Under My Skin, Goodbye Lullaby coming in a close second. This album is the kind of no-frills, truly good music that is missing in today's industry.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
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