Avril带着第三张录音室专辑《The Best Damn Thing》回来了，先前已经拿出2首做宣传，Keep Holding On去年上映的电影《龙骑士》特别录制的主题曲和8国语言版的Girlfriend 单曲集，其中包括很有意思的中文版本。整张专集的曲风比起以前更加明快，就连Avril表示新专辑的节奏会比以前的专辑快，因为现在的她有了更多现场演出的经验，“我保证这张专辑更好玩———对歌迷和我本人来说都更好玩。专辑里大概只有三首慢歌。”有些人表示对新专集失望，感觉失去了以前rock特色，太偏流行了，不过对于喜欢的声音，能再听到新专集，已经是一种享受，况且新专确实也很如耳。

With her breakthrough 2002 debut, Let Go, Avril Lavigne tried to market herself as the bona fide alternative to tarty teen queens, Britney and Christina. Her guitar-pop hits were irresistibly bratty but the whole "Complicated" teen pose was a little hard to swallow, especially since two songwriters called the Matrix--who had at least twenty years on the Canadian singer--fed her most of the material. Having had the chance to live a little, Lavigne returns to make good on her angsty image with Under My Skin, an album rippling with delightfully dour melodies and heartfelt lyrics about loneliness ("How Does It Feel") and fractured relationships ("Don't Tell Me"). Is it clichéd? Sure. Will it scare off her necktie and t-shirt wearing fans? Possibly. But there's nothing quite as satisfying as watching a teen-pop icon actually reveal her soul. --Jaan Uhelszki

Self-professed skate punk Avril Lavigne sings that she'd "rather be anything but ordinary" on her debut. While the fact that she had a record deal by the age of 16 separates her from the pack, too often Let Go's lyrical shortcomings drag the teenager's musically impressive recording entrée into the realm of the typical. The catchy choruses of Go are substantial, though, thanks to Lavigne's riff-driven melodies and powerful vocals, which at times adopt the unorthodox intonation quirks of fellow Canadian Alanis Morrissette. The nuanced, dynamic "Losing Grip," "My World" (which perfectly captures the ennui of suburbia), and the buoyant power-pop blast "Sk8er Boi" are the collection's highlights. But Lavigne's honest yet awkward words weigh down the likes of "Mobile," "I'm with You," and "Naked." "Nobody's Fool," which displays her Pink-like take-me-as-I-am credo, hints that someday Lavigne's lyrics will match the strength of her music. --Annie Zaleski