Under My Skin

by Avril Lavigne

Overview

Part of Avril Lavigne's appeal -- a large part of it, actually -- is that she's a brat, acting younger than her 17 years on her 2002 debut, Let Go, and never seeming like she much cared about the past (she notoriously mispronounced David Bowie's name when reading Grammy nominations), or anything for that matter. She lived for the moment, she partied with sk8er boiz, she didn't want anything complicated, and she sang in a flat, plain voice that illustrated her age as much as her silly, shallow lyrics. Those words got disproportionate attention because they were so silly and shallow, but most listeners just didn't care because, thanks to producer gurus the Matrix, they were delivered in a shiny package filled with incessant, nagging hooks -- a sound so catchy it came to define the mainstream not long after Let Go hit the radio. The Matrix became ubiquitous on the strength of their work with Lavigne, who herself became a big star, earning constant play on radio and MTV, kick-starting a fashion trend of ties-n-tank tops for girls and inexplicably providing a touchstone for indie rock queen Liz Phair's mainstream makeover. Fame, however, didn't pull the two camps together; it pushed them their separate ways, as the Matrix went on to record their own album and Lavigne decided to turn serious, working with a variety of co-writers and producers, including fellow Canadian singer/songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, for her second album, 2004's Under My Skin. Lavigne hasn't only shed her trademark ties for thrift-shop skirts, she's essentially ditched the sound of Let Go, too, bringing herself closer to the mature aspirations of fellow young singer/songwriter Michelle Branch. Since Lavigne is still a teenager, and still a brat, it's livelier than Branch's. Even when it sags under minor keys and mid-tempos, it's fueled on teen angst and a sense of entitled narcissism, as if she's the first to discover the joys of love and the pain of heartache. In a sense, she comes across as Alanis Morissette's kid sister, especially now that the Matrix are gone and the hooks have been pushed to the background for much of the record; it's the teen spin on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, where she's self-consciously trying to grow as an artist. Naturally, this means that Under My Skin is less fun than Let Go since there's nothing as giddy as "Sk8er Boi," even if much of it is written from a similarly adolescent vantage point. Lavigne's collaborators, Kreviazuk and Evan Taubenfeld chief among them, have helped streamline her awkward writing, and her performances are also assured, which almost makes up for the thinness of her voice, which sounds far younger than the meticulous arrangements around it. So, Under My Skin is a bit awkward, sometimes sounding tentative and unsure, sometimes clicking and surging on Lavigne's attitude and ambition. But it's telling that the one song that really catches hold on the first listen and stands out on repeated spins is "He Wasn't," the fastest, loudest, catchiest, and best song here, and the one closest to the spirit and sound of Let Go -- it's not that Lavigne hasn't matured; it's that her talents are better suited on music that's a little less contemplative and deliberate than Under My Skin. [This version of the album include a bonus track, "I Always Get What I Want."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/29/2004
Label:	Bmg
UPC:	0828766178722

Tracks

1. Take Me Away
2. Together
3. Don't Tell Me
4. He Wasn't
5. How Does It Feel
6. My Happy Ending
7. Nobody's Home
8. Forgotten
9. Who Knows
10. Fall to Pieces
11. Freak Out
12. Slipped Away
13. I Always Get What I Want

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Avril Lavigne   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Josh Freese   Guest Artist,Drums
Chantal Kreviazuk   Guest Artist,Piano,Keyboards
Ben Moody   Guest Artist,Guitar
Raine Maida   Guest Artist,Guitar,Keyboards
Phil X   Guitar
John O'Brien   Keyboards
Shanti Randall   Viola
Nick Lashley   Guitar
Brooks Wackerman   Drums
Mark Robertson   Violin
Sam Fisher   Violin
Static   Keyboards
Brian Garcia   Percussion
Patrick Warren   Strings,Keyboards,Chamberlin
Kenny Aronoff   Drums,Percussion
Evan Taubenfeld   Drums,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Victor Lawrence   Cello
Kenny Cresswell   Drums
Alma Fernandez   Viola
Samuel Formicola   Violin
Michael Ward   Guitar
Mike Elizondo   Bass
Butch Walker   Bass,Piano,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Bill Lefler   Drums
Jason Lader   Bass

Technical Credits

Avril Lavigne   Composer,String Arrangements
Don Gilmore   Engineer,Producer
John O'Brien   Programming
Tom Sweeney   Assistant
Zach Blackstone   Assistant
David Campbell   String Arrangements
James Minchin III   Photography
John Rummen   Design,Art Direction
Rob Stefanson   Assistant
Christie Priode   Production Coordination
Joshua Sarubin   A&R
William Tabanou   Engineer,String Engineer
Misha Rajaratnam   Assistant
Matthew Schwartz   A&R
Kim Kinakin   Design,Art Direction
Mauricio Cersosimo   Assistant
Static   Programming
Terry McBride   Management
Dan Chase   Pro-Tools,Drum Programming
Bob Boyd   Assistant
Matthew Brann   Composer
Brian Garcia   Engineer,Digital Editing,String Engineer
Matt Brann   Composer
Shauna Gold   Management
Dani Bucher   A&R
Danny Kalb   Assistant
Paul David Hager   Engineer
Jason Cupp   Assistant
Evan Taubenfeld   Composer
Curt Frasca   Composer
Clif Magness   Composer
Leon Zervos   Mastering
Chantal Kreviazuk   Composer,String Arrangements
Jeff Burns   Assistant
Russ-T Cobb   Engineer
Raine Maida   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Digital Editing,String Engineer,String Arrangements
Randy Staub   Mixing
Ben Moody   Composer
Butch Walker   Composer,Producer,Programming
Sabelle Breer   Composer
Sean Loughlin   Assistant
Femio Hernandez   Assistant
Dan Certa   Editing,Engineer
Tom Lord-Alge   Mixing
Jason Lader   Programming,Digital Editing
Fox Phelps   Assistant