The Best Damn Thing

Lately I love the album more and more.. I always loved Under My Skin more and didn't really like this album. but this time in my life where I really need upbeat and happy songs, I can only listen to this album.. (and a few songs from all the other 4 albums.)

You know what.. I'm going to listen to it right now!

Pros:
- I love that the album is mostly upbeat, but still very aggressive and "rocky" songs
- It's a good album for when you're feeling kind of angry or pissed off but I find that it helps you feel better because it's kind of encouraging and like "whatever, fuck off"
- I loved her creativity with this album. The songwriting was a lot more original and unique with some funny and witty, creative, clever lines
- I love the colorful and bright album artwork
- The production is really solid, a good mixture of instruments


Cons:
- Vocally one of her worst albums I think. Sometimes her voice is just too chipmunkish. It also didn't help that she recorded some of the songs while drunk
- The "bratty" theme of the album can wear thin after awhile
- She didn't really play any instruments on this album, unless you count the beer bottle in Girlfriend. I know she played guitar on ICDB but she's not listed in the credits so it's unclear if it's her playing or not



Overall this is my second favorite of her albums. I hated it on the first listen but grew to like it more. I agree with other fans that it's very underappreciated by fans and I think it's just because it's a "bratty" album. But musically it's a pop/punk album, very aggressive, very loud, so I don't know why people always call it a "pop" album. I honestly feel like fans are biased towards it because of her image then, the dancing, and stuff like that. 5/5

This is Avril's best album and the Girlfriend remix is her best song. That's the tea.

This record has been the most difficult to accept. Perhaps, when it came out, I was still feeling the UMS-kind of feelings, so this kind of cheerful record didn't really do much for me. Although songs like Innocence and Runaway did really hit home.

I went to see this show live and even then I felt so out of place. Afterwards I dropped her out of my life for a few months.

Since then, I've learned to appreciate this album. It is fun, it is playful, it is great. I wasn't just there yet at that time. Nowadays I kind of love Girlfriend, I Can Do Better, I Don't Have to Try etc. although there are songs that I still kind of never listen to: EBBY, One of those girls.

It's a good record. If now put into on order, I'd say it's better than Let Go.

Sadly this is my least favorite album too.

I remember I was shocked when it came out, by the music and her image.

2004: UMS was a unique album, very deep, very personnal, her image was very good.... love it !
2005: Bonez Tour was a great tour, good energy on stage, good voice.
2006: She did a break with music and she made a try in cinema.  I remember her appearance at "Cannes Festival" in France. very woman, very mature. She is even married... she is a real adult now.


2007: the 1st single came out and the album followed. I was like "wtf is that !"

Music: While I'm able to listen in loop LG and UMS without any annoyance, I need to make an effort to listen this new album until the end.
I didn't expect and didn't wanted a female version of Sum 41/Blink 182/Offspring.
LG and UMS was unique, this one is... mainstream...

Image: So... the married adult woman is now a edgy teen girl ? That's right ?
I feel like if she took all her (stolen) childhood and she put it into this album. She screams, she jumps, she acts and talks like a teen girl. She even looks like a teen girl now.


Music exception: Fortunately there are "Innocence" and "When You're Gone" on the record, that's the only songs I keep from this album.

Image exception: The live at "Roxy Theatre" is one of my favorite live in her whole career. This semi-acoustic concert is fantastic. She is exactly how she was supposed to be: Lots of emotions, vocally perfect, mature attitude.




This album is a real transition in her career. There is no statistic for this, but if you are honest with yourself, you know that it had changed her "audience" for ever.

While in "Try to Shut Me Up Tour" and "Bonez Tour", when you look videos of her concerts, you can see a pretty good mixity gender between boys and girls, with an average between 14-22 years old.
Now there is almost only girls and the average is 8-16 years old. You can even see parents who just accompany their children because they are too young to be alone.

The music is not the reason, because she could have sung them in an aggressive way. But she chose the way bubble gums, lollipops and princess manners.
How many fans she lost, how many fans she gained...

Nowadays 90% of LBS are under 25 years-old and most of all are girls.



For most of all this is the apogee oh her career, for me this is the beginning of her long decline.



This is my opinion, I respect all opinions, I even do understand the reasons for why it's your favorite album.
We do not have the same age, expectations and sensibility.

What matters at the end is that we all love Avril.

I listen to Innocence and it's so amazing. I need another ballad like that from her.

I think "Hot" is a fun song to listen to!