Under My Skin
by Avril Lavigne
  • Record Label: Arista
  • Release Date: May 25, 2004
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. E! Online
    83
    Under My Skin gets generic at times, but that's why it works.
  2. Blender
    80
    She has deepened and darkened her sound without sacrificing her platinum-plated melodies. [#27, p.141]
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  3. Q Magazine
    80
    An altogether more satisfying supply of air punching, stadium sized choruses. [Jun 2004, p.103]
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  5. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    As contrived as the results can be, there's no denying the level of craft at work. [28 May 2004, p.121]
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  6. Rolling Stone
    70
    Both more satisfying and more formulaic.
  7. Billboard
    70
    A one-two punch of radio-ready, rock-tinged riffs and Lavigne's signature defiant yet introspective vocals.
  8. Stylus Magazine
    70
    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.
  9. PopMatters
    60
    A good, if slightly disappointing, follow-up.
  10. AllMusic
    60
    Under My Skin is a bit awkward, sometimes sounding tentative and unsure, sometimes clicking and surging on Avril's attitude and ambition.
  11. The New York Times
    60
    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]
  12. Dot Music
    60
    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.
  13. The A.V. Club
    50
    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.
  14. Los Angeles Times
    50
    She's sounding as genre-bound in her way as the synthetic singers she was supposed to be a relief from.
  15. The Guardian
    30
    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.

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Most Discussed Album of 2004
30
#30 Most Shared Album of 2004

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 409 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 342 out of 409
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 409
  3. Negative: 52 out of 409
  1. NormanG.
    Oct 26, 2007
    10
    Personally I think this is her best debut album B/c it contains varios kinds of songs and its deep.
  2. AnalyDewa
    Nov 15, 2015
    8
    Depois do fenômeno de vendas que foi o ”Let Go”, seu disco de estreia, responsável por mais de 17 milhões de cópias vendidas ao redor doDepois do fenômeno de vendas que foi o ”Let Go”, seu disco de estreia, responsável por mais de 17 milhões de cópias vendidas ao redor do mundo, Avril Lavigne ‐ que ganhou uma legião de fãs em um curto intervalo de tempo, amadurece o seu som e vem com mais atitude sem deixar de fazer canções de fácil acesso ao público.
    Pode até fazer pouco significado hoje, mas ”Under My Skin” vem com os dilemas de vida de uma adolescente rebelde e pouco contente com o mundo que vivia. A canadense canta, compõe e toca em quase todas as faixas, muitas com auxílio do guitarrista Evan Taubenfeld e um time de peso, como ex-parceiros de Pearl Jam, Linkin Park e de Evanescence ‐ o último sendo responsável por grande parte do sucesso da banda e do disco ”Fallen” que vendeu mais de 16 milhões, venceu 2 Grammys e aqui tem função de transformar o som de ”Under My Kin” do despretensioso do ”Let Go”.
    O resultado final é positivo, sendo até hoje o melhor disco da carreira da cantora e manteve seu sucesso comercial, sendo responsável por mais de 9,5 milhões cópias vendidas e marcaria o nome da cantora como uma das mais bem sucedidas artistas femininas do Canadá e um grande ícone pop adolescente dos anos 2000 e que viria a ter uma mudança significativa em sonoridade e personalidade depois desse trabalho, se assumindo de vez como artista pop e deixando o seu marcante lado rebelde de lado.    … Full Review »
  3. alaNBrait
    Feb 28, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. A Darker powerful music with a lot of emotion. Amazing album my favorite album from her she is lyrically experimenting that is obvious but she did good.… Full Review »
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