Which would you rather have on AL8?

As long as it's not anything rap I'm fine lol

The most rap I ever want Avril to go near is Nobody's Fool, Bitchin' Summer, and Dumb Blonde. It's just not my thing. I'd be interested in country-rock from her, but a one-off song (like HK on AL) on AL8 would feel out of place and I don't want a whole album like that. She can collab all she wants as long as it doesn't interfere with AL8 though lol.

I think if she didn't go "yeehaw" country she wouldn't necessarily have to do an image rehaul -and tbh her style changes pretty substantially every era anyway. The Michael Ashton (?) outfits she's worn while performing would look out of place, but if she wore "everyday" clothing on stage like she wore her AB stuff on the BS tour that could work. I'm thinking a sound similar to Taylor Acorn (who's career is basically just getting started she I don't think she's well known at all), who actually went from rock-ish/country to alternative. I'm trying to think of who else I've listened to that is more like rock or pop with country undertones... I enjoy listening to specific types of country songs but I'm fairly picky about what I actually download to my phone library lol. Blake Shelton's God's Country comes to mind as well, maybe Every Time I Hear That Song as well... Oh and Drunk by Miranda Lambert and Elle King! The Band Perry, especially their songs Better Dig Two and The Good Life. As someone else has mentioned, Carrie Underwood's Storyteller/Cry Pretty eras could also work.

The biggest thing definitely would be the lyrics. I wouldn't want a country album from her that was all "fun and summer and angry breakups and brand new romance" -Carrie Underwood did that well on Southbound, Before He Cheats, and End Up With You, for example. But those songs were well-balanced with more serious and reflective topics on their respective albums, not to mention lyrically creative. Avril's idea of a country album would most likely be a mix of Southbound (fun summer drinking anthem), angry boy bashing, the excitement about the new guy she's dating, etc. Obviously in general fans have had complaints about her by and large just sticking to those topics, but it's not (at least for me) too aggravating because she's stayed in her musical lane and it's just what I've come to expect from her, and I enjoy that type of music from her. If she veered into another genre, I would want it to be more than just switching up the sound -I'd want the songwriting revamped and for her to bring something unique to the genre. In my opinion, that uniqueness would be her voice -it *is* very recognizable and I've said in the EWS thread, NO ONE (at least IMO) comes close to matching her ability to instantaneously flip back and forth between angry aggressive chest voice and softer head voice, ESPECIALLY without either sounding forced. I think it was an album review of HAW, and the reviewer was someone who actually has listened to Avril's other albums and generally likes her -not like a die-hard fan or anything but does take her seriously as an artist- and said that one of their favorite things about HAW at first listen is how the album really highlights her niche as a songwriter/artist. Something along the lines of "she has a way of crafting songs that are empowering and show her strength but also hint at the pain, fear, and uncertainty she feels while navigating whatever the situation is that she's singing about." I think they were referring to like Birdie, Warrior, IWIM. Like "I know I'm gonna get through this and I'll be fine, but damn it sucks right now." IIRC, this person's fav album of hers is GL, so it seems like they have a different view of her songwriting in terms of what they like, as compared to the overall consensus of the fandom.

And I agree with that reviewer (coincidentally, I also love GL and think it was very well-written lol). I think in addition to her voice, something she *could* bring to the country music table if she really tried and put the effort in is the theme/message she's had throughout her career of empowerment, being yourself, and living life to the fullest. I feel like some of the things country is known for are it's slower/mid-tempo "this breakup hurts but I gotta keep going," "I just lost the love of my life" songs, and "I am so in love with this person" songs. All of which are well within her wheelhouse, and then she could also have one fun summer party song and an angry breakup song or two that are faster paced. But in my ideal picture of country Avril, the album would mainly be mid-tempo songs, 3 upbeat songs, a really stripped back song (like Goddess), and a trademark Avril Power Ballad. IMO, her voice would really need to be the front and center of the project, and it tends to shine on her medium-slow paced songs. But of course angry aggressive Av is also a different way to show off her voice, so a song or two of that would be good, same with a proper ballad/stripped back song.

I also hold the unpopular opinion that her solo-written songs are really good, including the lyrics, so I think unless she was working with like Evan, Bonnie McKee, Lauren Christy, or Zane, I'm not sure how much I'd like her writing with someone in the country business because it would be someone she doesn't know well. I think in general the QUALITY of her lyrics can be better when she has a co-writer in that they're more creative, but IMO the songs/lyrics she writes by herself have more depth. The exception to that is when she works with people she's very comfortable with and/or has known for a long time. And I think there would need to be 3-4 people she wrote with (separately) to bring out different ideas and stuff. That worked well on HAW, and then on LS it was all written by the Jam Fam so the ideas/topics/feelings were more or less the same.

So I think a country album *could* work if it was executed in just the right way. But she'd have to adapt to the "rules" of the country genre -none of the "you make me puke" stuff, more balanced topics, more self-reflection... it would have to be an album meant to show her growth as an artist and her voice, not a "fun for performing on stage" [not that she would actually perform the new songs anyway] type of album. Like when Taylor transitioned from country to pop -she didn't just change her sound, but her writing adapted to the new genre (same with how it changed to suit the folk/alternative-ness of Folklore and Evermore). She didn't change who she was, but you could definitely see her growth and could tell she put a lot of thought into how to insert herself in a new genre in a way that retained the essence of her/her songwriting while also incorporating the influences of the new genre, on top of bringing a unique aspect of her artistry to the table (arguably her lyrics). IMO there's no point in dabbling in a different genre if you're just changing the instrumentals/sound of your songs. Like if she were to rework Joker into a country song by just rerecording the instrumentals and vocals in a country style, for example, would be a disaster. A genre is more than just its distinctive sound, you can't just write a song the way you write pop/rock/punk and slap country production on it.