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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Under My Skin
by Avril Lavigne


8.1

based on 14 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 80 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Ditching the production team (The Matrix) who made her first album a hit, Lavigne turned to fellow Canadians Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida to write and produce this sophomore disc.

LABEL:	Arista
RELEASE DATE:	25 May 2004
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Pop

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

E! Online

Under My Skin gets generic at times, but that's why it works.

Blender

She has deepened and darkened her sound without sacrificing her platinum-plated melodies. [#27, p.141]

Q Magazine

An altogether more satisfying supply of air punching, stadium sized choruses. [Jun 2004, p.103]

Entertainment Weekly

As contrived as the results can be, there's no denying the level of craft at work. [28 May 2004, p.121]

Billboard

A one-two punch of radio-ready, rock-tinged riffs and Lavigne's signature defiant yet introspective vocals.

Stylus Magazine

Under My Skin is a far more balanced album than Let Go, allowing Avril to stretch out a bit more and not suffer the troughs that typified any song that happened to follow a Matrix penned track.

Rolling Stone

Both more satisfying and more formulaic.

The New York Times

There's little subtlety on "Under My Skin," and... absolutely no fear of clichés. But on the emotionally fraught battleground that is high-school romance, perhaps those would be frills. [16 May 2004]

PopMatters

A good, if slightly disappointing, follow-up.

All Music Guide

Under My Skin is a bit awkward, sometimes sounding tentative and unsure, sometimes clicking and surging on Avril's attitude and ambition.

Dot Music

So, we have a maturing Ms Lavigne, distancing herself from the teen antics of her "Let Go" debut, but struggling to find any stories worth telling save for boyfriend trouble and dead grandparents.

Los Angeles Times

She's sounding as genre-bound in her way as the synthetic singers she was supposed to be a relief from.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Mascara-streaked moods dictate an excess of ballads and rockers that trade in sterile nü-metal crunch, leaving Lavigne's pop-punk spunk by the wayside.

The Guardian

The music is so anodyne that you don't pay much attention to Lavigne's lyrics. This proves to be a small mercy: examination of the CD booklet reveals that prolonged exposure to her words could leave a previously healthy adult rocking backwards and forwards in a foetal ball.

The average user rating for this album is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 80 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Norman G. gave it a10:
Personally I think this is her best debut album B/c it contains varios kinds of songs and its deep.

Alex F. gave it a5:
This album was way better then her last one. At least this album had some feeling to it and was not as pointless.

Alex f gave it a5:
This album was way better then her last one. At least this album had some feeling to it and was not as pointless.

Alexis b gave it a2:
oh god what a shallow album, oh god what a disapointment! i was never an Avril Lavigne fan but i always follow her work because i literally fell in love with Let Go..now? please Avril, you could've IMAGINED more interesting stories..meaningless songs, sort of like the songs u read in a 13 year old girl's diary...so weak, once this album is over ull be like "so what was i doing? oh yeah...cleaning the roofs"...Avril is in the spotlight, she should take that in consideration and do her best to write real songs! and if she cant then she has to face the bad critics

Edward H gave it a10:
This is a very deep album from Avril Lavigne and I like it. It proves she kan kick ass bein' deep and still be fun at tha same time. She has reel emotion on this album. Unlike sum other BS won't mention. She is a reel singer with a big heart 2 match. Luv ya Av, keep on droppin' those hitz!

Andy H gave it a10:
Great pop album with catchy hooks. Puts a smile on my face.

Mary A gave it a9:
Just listen to it!

Under My Skin by Avril Lavigne

Under My Skin
by Avril Lavigne