Maturity already proven to be
Avril Lavigne
's bugaboo way back in 2004 when she stumbled through a
Chantal Kreviazuk
co-written sophomore set called
Under My Skin
, the former mall punk once again returns to reflection for her fourth album, 2011's
Goodbye Lullaby
. The occasion for introspection is
Lavigne
's divorce from
Sum 41
singer
Deryck Whibley
, who has some presence as a producer and phantom on
, sometimes even standing at the helm for a lovelorn, regretful tune.
has songwriting credits on every cut here, bearing sole responsibility for half of the tunes. These are not the ones that stick. The ones that stick are
Max Martin
productions that he co-wrote, including first single
"What the Hell,"
which touches upon
Avril
's irrepressible brattiness. Despite
Martin
's immense skill, he can't quite get
to crack a smile here, and her sorrow leads to a big-budget pop divorce album along the lines of
P!nk
's
Funhouse
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine