So much for the serious side of Avril Lavigne. Whether it is because she is now in her early twenties and a married woman or because she did like the way her last album resonated with her audience, the brat is back big time in her third album, "The Best Damn Thing." I would be in the camp that thought Avril Lavigne's second album, "

," was a significant step up from her debut effort "

." Fans who preferred the first album and thought "He Wasn't" was the best offering the second time around, will find "The Best Dam Thing" a return to her roots as an appealing brat (and proud of it). Those who would point to "My Happy Ending" as the best song on the sophomore effort will find this a mixed bag and contemplate the shift in Avril's songwriting partners from the likes of

to Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald (tracks 1-3, 9, 12), Evan Taubenfeld (tracks 7-8, 10-11), and Butch

(tracks 4-6). Of course, Walker co-wrote "My Happy Ending" with Lavigne and their "When You're Gone" is the song here that most sounds like it belongs on "Under My Skin," along with "Keep Holding On," which came out last year as part of the "Eragon" soundtrack and seems a bit out of place since the message of its title applies equally well to fighting dragon slayers and enduring teenage heartbreak.

The dialectical tension between the bratty Avril and the serious Avril are captured on the first two tracks. In "Girlfriend" affirms that she is the "motherf___king princess" and is promising that she "can do it better," while on "I Can Do Better" the chorus is all about the angry aftermath as she yells out: "I hate you now, so go away from me/You're gone, so long/I can do better, I can do better." I like the energy of the latter song better, not to mention the rhetorical stance of the chorus. But then I am the father of two daughters and if the sentiments of Lavigne's "Don't Tell Me" could be programmed into the brain of every teenage girl in the country I would feel a lot better. However, I have no doubt those teenage girls are more drawn to such thoughts as "I just wanna scream and lose control/Throw my hands up, and let it go" ("Runaway") and "Waking up I see that everything is ok/The first time in my life and now its so great/Slowing down I look around an i am so amazed/I think about the little things that make life great/I wouldn't change a thing about it/This is the best feeling" ("Innocence").

But more often that not some guy comes along and messes everything up, which is why she ends up singing: "I hate you why are guys so lame/Everything I gave you/I want everything back but you" ("Everything Back But You"). The opening track matches up with the title song, which also mixes it what I want to call her "cheerleader rap," with its bratty declarations (e.g., "I hate it when a guy doesn't get the tab/And I have to pull my money out and that looks bad"). But then we get to the chorus and its infectious pop hook and the other side of her musical appeal. You will also find that the line of attack against certain types of women begun back with "Sk8ter Boi" continues here with not only "Girlfriend" (duh) but also "One Of Those Girls," which reminds us that Avril has drawn not only a vertical but a horizontal axis in the war of sexes. Whether you call it being empowered or being a brat, that overarching attitude is what ultimately connects all of these songs, summed up in the declaration "I'm the one I'm the one who wears the pants" ("I Don't Have to Try"). The bottom line would be that for me "The Best Damn Thing" is not on the same level as "Under My Skin," but I still find it worth listening to and if it takes her an album or two to grow into that serious side she revealed last time then I am willing to wait.

You are probably aware that "The Best Damn Thing" is available in both an explicit and a "clean" version. The four explicit tracks are "Girlfriend" (the aforementioned "mf" princess," "I Can Do Better" ("sick of this s__t"), "Everything Back But You" ("bitch, slut"), and "I Don't Have to Try" ("get ready motherf--ker 'cause I'm on the scene"). On the "clean" version of the album with the first two you basically have the __ parts inserted in the song, the third replaces the derogatory words with "hey, hey!" and the last one has the "get ready" repeated as a replacement, and this is how civilization is saved. The irony is that musically the clean versions end up sounding a bit better, because in terms of rhetorical implications it really strikes me that Avril is drawing a line of demarcation. If you are still on the other side of the great sexual divide and "Don't Tell Me" sums up your life, then you want the clean version. If you have crossed over and been seriously burned in a relationship (which almost always seems to be the case), then increasing the intensity of your vocabulary to describe the male of the species will sound like a good idea. All things considered, Avril's use of profanity indicates her target audience remains the legions of teenager wannabe brats, who will be thrilled by the dirty words even if they are thrown out inartistically. I would still say that on balance the attitude of these songs will outweigh the outbursts of obscenity for those fans.

I purchased The Best Damn Thing explicit/DVD deluxe, and all I have to say is that she has come a long way since Under My Skin three years ago! This album combines the perfect blend of classic punk-rock Avril with enough ballads to keep those satisfied who prefer the slower, emotional side of Lavigne! The best part of this particular edition is that the DVD (almost an hour long) shows all kinds of scenes with Avril recording and writing for this CD. Listen to it again after watching this, and you will get a better understanding of what her songs mean to her! So buy The Best Damn Thing right now, and discover the new, Limoncello drinking Avril Lavigne!!!

Yo, what it is, my righteous punkerz? I just finished, like, totally watching TRL today and I found out about the new album by the best punk rock artist ever, Avril Lavigne! It's called The Best Damn Thing because, like, having the work "damn" in your title is, like, so PUNK RAWK!!!!! It's good to see her fighting the good fight with other anti-authority anarchists like Simple Plan, Plain White T's, Fall Out Boy and Good Charlotte to keep hardcore alive! The punk rock nation flips the bird and spits in the face of "The Man" anywhere and everywhere, because we're PUNK RAWK!!!!! We're rebellious and extreme because we knock over counters at grocery stores and push old people around because it's fun! I hope they continue to kick sand in the faces of these moronic faux-punk bands like Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, The Exploited, UK Subs, TSOL and Bad Religion - TRL doesn't play them because they're nothing but a bunch of dumb boy bands!

I really love the song "Girlfriend" because everything about the song makes me want to kick the person next to me in the face and mosh all day and night! I love lyrics like "She's like 'so whatever' / And you can do so much better / I think we should get together now / And that's what everyone's talkin' about" because they're so deep and profound and, like, speak to my inner soul and stuff. My mother loves the song "Keep Holding On" which is awesome - I never knew my mom was punk rock ... even more punk rock is that she stole the chorus from a 30 Seconds To Mars song, because stealing is like so uber-punk rock! All the other songs are about Avril loving and hating boys, which we all know have been the primary components of punk rock since 1984, when Avril was born. That's right, punks and punkettes - Avril Lavigne invented punk rock as soon as she came into this world! She put on a striped tie and Chuck Taylors and the first word out of her mouth was "Punk" - thus it was born! How cool is that? Long live Avril Lavigne and REAL punk rock forever!

...

Ah, who am I kidding? Not only was typing like that difficult, but I think I lost a few brain cells in the process. Avril Lavigne's "hardcore punk muzik" will have the same effect on any willing listener. I pretty much mentioned everything wrong with it in the guise of high praise in the last paragraph - overproduced pop music masquerading as punk, bad singing, irritating hooks, and lyrics so bad and juvenile they make "My Humps" look like a work of genius. If that sounds like a ringing endorsement to you, feel free to jump in, but don't say I didn't warn you. I know that both Avril Lavigne's previous albums are Multi-Platinum so it appears that people actually enjoy shallow fluff - I guess ignorance really is bliss.

Congratulations, America - thanks to you, Avril Lavigne and her husband, Deryck Whibley of bubblegum pseudo-punk band Sum 41, have just moved into a $9 million mansion. Meanwhile, there are millions of people homeless and starving around the world. It's good to see that we are supporting people that have their priorities straight - forget about those who are less fortunate, it's more important to live it up, drink champagne and eat caviar instead! Because we all know just how "punk rock" it is to put material possessions over everything else in life. Right on, Avril and Deryck - rock on with your bad selves!

In summary: Just when you think Avril Lavigne's music had hit rock bottom, she puts out The Best Damn Thing and surprises us once again with her utter ineptitude. You people who still think that you're listening to punk rock should take a look at the "I'm so cute" cover photo, the lyrics of the songs (listen everybody - she's "precious" AND a "princess"!) and the choreographed dancing in the video - then you should realize that she's no different from Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Ashley Tisdale and all the other pop tarts. I highly recommend looking away from the Top 40, MTV and other outlets controlled by huge media conglomerates - they're just looking to push what they can sell to the lowest common denominator. I'm struggling to find even one good thing to say about this album, but I just can't. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, check out anything else instead - maybe Joan Jett & The Blackhearts or the new Nine Inch Nails album for starters.

I have her 2 previous releases, and I like them both very much. Her 3rd album is one of those "same but different" type of deals. I say this in a very positive way. If you enjoy her music in the past, I think you'll be pleased with this. I read a review and saw someone state Target and walmart only carry the edited version. This is not true in Targets case. I think one of the reasons I enjoy Avril's tunes are the use of the electric guitar , especially in the chorus of many tunes. Puts me in mind a little of Joan Jett. A few of the tracks made me think of Blink 182. And there was one track (sorry, typing from memory and don't remember name), where I swear I picked up a slight guitar sound from an 80's track. I always enjoyed the more rocker type female artists of the 80's (I'm 33, I know, kind of weird), and Avril kind of takes me back, her stuff is catchy, it rocks pretty good, and for the most part light listening. I haven't watched the dvd yet, but the cd is great. I've listened to it str8 through twice, and it's all good. There is one line that is laugh out loud bad though. She says at the end of a verse "I'm the one that wears the pants", then again loudly "I"M THE ONE THAT WEARS THE PANTS!", the way she emphasizes pants is hysterical. Too bad I doubt she intended it that way. I think any Avril fan should go snag a copy, and I think this album will also create new fans. Thanks for taking the time to read my review. P.S. I hate to be the 1st one not to give it 5 stars, but the "Pants" line has to drop it down one, lol. Recording that in the studio, she should've known that was WAY corny!

After the rather well- done album Under my Skin, I was hoping what I would continue to hear a more older and experienced Avril. Then I heard the terribly immature and overall lame single Girlfriend and just could not believe it. Where did her mind go- back to high school? I expect every artist to mature as time goes on and yet it seems although she goes on and on about how she has 'grown up' this album makes her sounds like she is 16; it's like she has seriously taken a step back age- wise.

What is there to really say about it? It is nothing but a loud mess of an album with really lousy or just cliche kind of lyrics you expect on a debut album possibly but not on the third damn album. The only thing this album proves is that Avril refuses to grow up. I can't find one real good song on here I can actually listen to all the way through without cringing or getting so annoyed with.

Avril will probably pick up plenty more young teens sure with this album since it does appeal to that age group- and her old fans nonetheless will buy it due to years of love for her past, and much better, albums- so this album will bring success for her sure. But the older fans who listen to the album, and actually claim that this one surpasses the first two albums, I'm sure will be in the minority. Some like I even will find it complete trash, wondering what the hell happened to Avril's direction between this album and Under My Skin, an album that showed some promise of further growth.

I am very disappointed overall the way Avril went with her music and I just hate this album. I am just so glad I decided to borrow this album from a friend before even considering buying it.

1/5