Search - Avril Lavigne :: Under My Skin

Miss B. from BOSSIER CITY, LA
Reviewed on 10/5/2006...

Loved this one just as much as the first one!

You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea...

Dean Anderson | New York, New York | 03/27/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let's be honest. "Under My Skin" is something of a borderline album to begin with. It didn't have the hooks that Avril's first disc, "Let Go" had, and the sales showed that the public didn't enjoy this material quite as much as they did her first album.



That being said, there is something very nice about the Dual Disc concept, which seems to be the music industry's response to file sharing. Will this become the standard for all recording artists? Could be. Videos are still being made, though people rarely sit through them. Even on MTV's famed "TRL," or Fuse's "Daily Download," they never play a video in its entirety! Perhaps this will be the way an audience can see a video if they want.



The problem is that the audio CD for this album came out in 2004! At this point, even Avril's webmasters and fan club members must be asking the people at RCA/BMG... who cares? If this had been the CD/DVD release when the material was new, it would have been a worthwhile package at a pretty decent price. Now, it's just an excuse for fans to purchase an album they already own.



But let's talk about this particular package. On one side of the disc, you get the audio version of the album. On the other, you get the audio version again, in enhanced stereo. The difference might be more noticible for other genres of music, like Classical, Opera or Jazz, but here, the improvement of the sound quality is negligible. So, no big points for that.



However, it's nice to get the videos for Avril's singles: "Don't Tell Me," "My Happy Ending" and "Nobody's Home." And a promo piece that follows Ms. Lavigne and her band around the British Isles while she's on tour is pretty entertaining. It aired in edited versions on both MTV (under their "Diary" anthology series) and on Fuse (as a special), so if you wanted to have a nice copy of that, it would be worth getting this disc. The MTV version had more footage that wasn't included here, so you don't get everything possible, but it's still an amusing trip... if only to hear Avril's brief a cappella cover of Outkast's "Hey, Ya!" In the midst of it all, or her other goofball antics, like sneaking onto the grounds of Kensington Palace with her Starbuck's latte, or reading some tabloid mag with a story about her at a petrol mini-mart.



If you already have the standard CD version of this disc, and you don't care about the video extras, you should completely skip this."

Dual Disc Disaster?

06/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All dual disc problems aside, might I say that I love Avril Lavigne's music. She is a great and fresh addition to today's music realm. I was at first skeptical about her first album, "Let Go," but it captured my attention and devotion, and now, "Under My Skin" has strengthened my loyalty.



Anyway, the Dual Disc was a pricey investment. The original copy of the album came out in June of 2004. I had already purchased it the day it arrived in stores. Of course, now in 2005, the Dual Disc formatted version comes out and I'm left to pay for a second copy of the exact same album. This was only because I was interested in the music videos and behind-the-scenes footage. As for the "high quality" sound, you can't tell the difference. I suppose you would be able to if it was say, an acoustic or opera performance. I thought that the original version was already produced in enhanced stereo anyway... I only wish that Dual Disc had been available last year. Nevertheless, it IS nice to have a back-up copy of the original. I also noticed some differences between the two versions. On the original, the album cover art is a clear, black/gray/white and a clear image. On the Dual Disc version, the album cover art is a more sepia/old-photograph style with a soft, blurred image. I'm not sure if this is coincidental, but maybe it will lead to something in the future.



All in all, the bonus videos and behind-the-scenes footage is a nice addition to an Avril fan's collection. It is well worth the extra $14.00 if you already have the original copy.



Always keep rockin' on..."