Let Go

1	Losing Grip 3:53
2	Complicated 4:04
3	Sk8er Boi 3:23
4	I'm With You 3:43
5	Mobile 3:31
6	Unwanted 3:41
7	Tomorrow 3:48
8	Anything But Ordinary 4:11
9	Things I'll Never Say 3:43
10	My World 3:27
11	Nobody's Fool 3:57
12	Too Much to Ask 3:45
13	Naked 3:28

Barnes & Noble

The debut disc from spunky teen songwriting prodigy Avril Lavigne suggests both the confessional style of Alanis Morissette and the honey-sweet vocalizing of Jewel, distancing this 17-year-old from her bubblegum contemporaries. On the autobiographical Let Go, the self-confident Lavigne lays herself bare, spinning personal tales with her impressive lyricism and guitar playing. The young Canadian stakes out her individuality on the infectious breakout single "Complicated" and traces her ride from homogenous suburban roots (the breezy "My World") through the less glamorous byways leading to fame (the acoustic guitar-driven "Mobile"). Throughout, the self-described skate punk deals out hooks like playing cards and ups the ante with subtle bleeps, loops, and keyboard swooshes, which intensify big guitar songs such as the power-pop punk "Sk8er Boi," the Dido-flavored "Losing Grip," and the sweeping angst-fest "Unwanted." Equally moving is Lavigne's subtler material, including the lush "Tomorrow," with its hint of uncertainty, and the trip-hoppy "Naked," a like-minded tale of vulnerability. Bursting with talent and joie de vivre, Avril Lavigne proudly announces herself as the new kid in town -- one that's sure to make a lot of friends real quick. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

Talk about pressure -- being under 21 and having a record deal no longer qualifies as extraordinary. And as mass-produced teen pop makes its exit and a glut of young singer/songwriters enter, child prodigies no longer have built-in marketing appeal. So if newcomer, 17-year-old Avril Lavigne truly wants to be "Anything but Ordinary," as she sings on her debut album, Let Go, she'll have to dig deeper. Luckily for Lavigne, aside from youth, she does have talent. Her debut runs the gamut from driving rock numbers like "Losing Grip" -- where Lavigne shows off her vocal range, powering into the anger-fueled, explosive rock chorus -- to singer/songwriter pop tunes like "My World," where Lavigne fills listeners in on the past 17 years of her life. Lavigne handles a variety of styles deftly, but she still has some growing up to do lyrically. "Sk8er Boi" has a terrific power pop bounce, but shows her lyrical shortcomings: "He was a punk/She did ballet/What more can I say" -- a lot. The phrasing is awkward and sometimes silly: "It's funny when you think it's gonna work out/Till you chose weed over me you're so lame," she sings on "Too Much to Ask." Not surprisingly, the standout track is the first single, "Complicated," a gem of a pop/rock tune with a killer chorus. But listen carefully and you'll realize that "Complicated"'s sing-song melody borrows just enough from Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me" to make it familiar and likeable. Nonetheless, the song is a knockout radio hit. Lavigne, a self-professed skater punk and labelmate of Pink, shares her "Take Me As I Am" credo as well. And that said, it's hard not to look at this record, executive produced by Arista label head Antonio "L.A." Reid, who is thanked by Lavigne for allowing "me to be myself," and feel cynical about the music industry's willingness to reproduce a hit over and over. Lavigne, however, is a capable songwriter with vocal chops, and at her age, one imagines, she is still finding her feet, borrowing from the music she's grown up listening to. The problem is Lavigne is still so young she's listening to the radio hits of the '90s and early 2000s: she's Pink when she's bucking authority, Alanis Morissette when she's angry, and Jewel when she's sensitive. Let Go shows promise, but the question is whether Lavigne and only Lavigne will shine through on her next effort. ~ Christina Saraceno, All Music Guide