Head Above Water
| Avril Lavigne
Head Above Water
Head Above Water is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne. It was released on February 15, 2019, through BMG Rights Management. It is Lavigne's first studio release since her self-titled fifth studio album (2013), marking the longest gap between two of her studio albums. Lavigne assumed an integral role in the album's production and collaborated with several producers including Chad Kroeger, Stephan Moccio, Chris Baseford, Johan Carlsson, Lauren Christy from The Matrix, Ryan Cabrera, Travis Clark of We the Kings, Bonnie McKee, JR Rotemand Mitch Allan among others.--Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
February 19, 2019. Though an interesting showcase of her powerful and newfound voice, the Canadian pop star’s comeback too often lapses into the rote, the stale, or the uninspired.
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Rolling Stone
February 15, 2019. Avril Lavigne goes the breakup-album route on ‘Head Above Water’.
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The Guardian
February 14, 2019. Sk8er girl on thin ice.
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Spin
February 20, 2019. Avril Lavigne’s tacky Head Above Water fails to do her legacy justice.
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Now Toronto
February 27, 2019. Avril Lavigne's Head Above Water sinks expectations. On her first album in five years, Canada's former pop-punk princess has become her own worst nightmare – boring.
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Independent
February 14, 2019. Still searching for a musical identity. The singer’s first record after a battle with Lyme disease promises authenticity but suffers from an inconsistent tracklist.
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NZ Herald
February 28, 2019. A strong vocal comeback but ultimately lacking punch.
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NME.com
February 8, 2019. ‘Head Above Water’ isn’t her most banging album, but it is a deeply honest one that sounds a lot like growing up gracefully.
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AllMusic
February 15, 2019. Considering that half-decade gap and all the personal turmoil the singer endured, it scans that Head Above Water unveils a different Avril Lavigne, one who proudly bears her scars and is eager to share her journey.
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Idolator
Febraury 17, 2019. From the time of her debut, no setback has derailed the hitmaker. Head Above Water makes it clear this is still the case. Even more, it proves she is an artist worth keeping an eye on 17 years into her career. Vocally and lyrically, the release contains some of her best work to date.
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Exclaim!
February 12, 2019. . . . listening to Head Above Water, you don't get the impression that breaking new musical ground was the point. Like Kesha's Rainbow, it's more a chance for Lavigne to reclaim her narrative in a space that suits the person she is today, not who fairweather fans wish she was.
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Newsday
February 13, 2019. Avril Lavigne's comeback album falls a little short.
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Refinery29
February 21, 2019. Avril Lavigne struggles to keep her Head Above Water on latest album.
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Substream Magazine
February 18, 2019. Head Above Water isn’t even full of upbeat tracks like we’re used to on a Lavigne release, but it’s an album full of independence and maturity. It’s Avril Lavigne’s most grown-up album to date, . . . .
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Clash Magazine
February 15, 2019. An album that’s meant to tell a story; of the teen-pop star’s trials and tribulations. Avril Lavigne’s sixth studio album – her first since overcoming Lyme disease - establishes itself as honest right from the get-go.
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The Diamondback
February 18, 2019. Though Lavigne used to have a perfect pop-punk image, her newer music is a failed attempt to pull away from it. She’s gone through a sort of identity crisis, and her newest album Head Above Water is the closest she’s gotten to sorting it out.
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Celebmix
February 16, 2019. If you’re looking for a bigger wow, look no further than Avril Lavigne’s phenomenal new album ‘Head Above Water’. The Canadian superstar has made a glorious comeback with a stunning collection of raw tracks that you are sure to love insane!
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Sputnik Music
February 16, 2019. . . . despite Lavigne’s markedly improved vocals (especially on the title track, an ode to personal triumph), Head Above Water unfortunately proves to be the poster child for decent albums that are ruined by insultingly basic and/or pointless lyrics.
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Stereogum
February 21, 2019. Avril Lavigne’s disappointing return. Like so many veteran pop stars before her, she sounds like an artist at a crossroads, unsure about how to move into the future. So much for her happy ending.
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Music Existence
February 21, 2019. After 5 years since her last album release and fight with Lyme Disease, former pop punk princess Avril Lavigne is back with her sixth album Head Above Water. The closing track on the album is “Warrior”. Like the most of the songs off the album, it’s about her health battle and surviving; it sends the powerful message and it’s a nice closure.
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O'Colly Media Group
February 17, 2019. ‘Head Above Water’ presents new version of Avril Lavigne. “Head Above Water” takes risks that we have not seen Lavigne take yet, and all of them pay off. If you are looking for a heartfelt and soulful album, then look no further.
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Washburn Review
February 17, 2019. I would completely recommend this album to anyone who is having a hard time. If they have recently had their heart broken, or have been rejected or left behind, this album is perfect. I will be telling all of my friends to listen to this, because it really speaks to me and things in my life, so I can definitely relate. Thank you, Avril Lavigne, for such an inspiring album.
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Hidden Jams
February 14, 2019. Avril Lavigne makes triumphant return with ‘Head Above Water,’ her best album yet.
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The Ithacan
February 25, 2019. Avril Lavigne comes back with empowering record.
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Ultimate Guitar
February 18, 2019. . . . her effort in "Head Above Water" is her biggest step towards a developed, high-brow sound. But while it fits well as both a sophisticated heightening of her aspirations heard in "Goodbye Lullaby," and a particularly different style in response to her self-titled album, the ballad-focused, orchestral sound that's laid on thick here can feel pretty monotonous and a bit overindulgent.
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Dead Press
February 24, 2019. Following a six year break from music, in which she faced a battle with Lyme disease, the pop-punk princess is back with her sixth album, ‘Head Above Water’. Full of emotion, it’s a testament to why she has lasted this long in the industry.
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Beat
February 19, 2019. Vocally effortless, yet still not sure with her sound. The sixth album by a Canadian pop star comes back with a carefully crafted pop tunes, but she struggles to put them all together. Most of the songs also sound that they could have been written by any other pop songwriters.
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Popdust
February 19, 2019. Avril Lavigne doesn't know who she is anymore. "Head Above Water" has as much edge as a pile of mashed potatoes.
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Punknews.org
February 10, 2019. Her first album since 2013’s self-titled record, Head Above Water is twelve tracks of sincere and motivational music that fans have patiently waited the past six years to hear.
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Strife Magazine
February 18, 2019. . . . with the release of her sixth studio album 'Head Above Water', Avril has shown growth, vulnerability and has solidified her place as a pop vocalist in doing so.
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Breathe Heavy
February 21, 2019. Avril Lavigne’s sixth studio album, Head Above Water, is brimming with sugary sweet mid-tempos about love, loss and lessons learnt, but lacks variety.
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The Sound Board Reviews
February 18, 2019. As much as the aim with this album is likely to find some favour with an older, more reserved crowd in music that feels just that, that’s not a suitable excuse for simply being dull, and yet Head Above Water treats it as exactly that.
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Immortal Reviews
February 18, 2019. Avril Lavigne doesn’t quite hit the mark in her new record Head Above Water, offering up basic anthems that are nice on the surface but don’t really provide anything deep or unique to herself. The record’s biggest fault is that the majority of it just doesn’t sound intrinsic of Lavigne.
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VinylDog
February 12, 2019. Head Above Water had the potential to be something that could transcend the pop format and create material any listener could find relatable . . . , as it does seem like it could be a record about looking back at a real-life failed marriage, but the final product is too jumbled full of borrowed styles even with Lavigne’s still strong vocals which haven’t aged all that much.
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The Torch
February 27, 2019. Overall, Lavigne’s new album is great. Even though her style has changed, her songs still somewhat reflect the punk/pop style she was known for in the early 2000s.
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Highlight Magazine
February 27, 2019. Overall, Head Above Water isn’t revolutionary by any means, but it’s promising. After six years, Lavigne’s return to music is jam-packed full of the potential in everything Lavigne stands for regarding her past, present, and future.
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The Musical Hype
February 20, 2019. From the onset, it’s clear that Head Above Water is in many ways a stark contrast to previous albums by the Canadian pop star. The majority of this project eschews the bratty, whiny pop of her past, opting for more maturity – exhibiting resilience. Head Above Water is no tour de force, but it has no shortage of strong moments.
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411MANIA
February 20, 2019. Nevertheless, as much as we commend Arvil for her recovery from Lyme Disease and her new found advocacy of a very worthy cause, its impossible to champion an album that, with the odd sweet or sorrowful exception, ranges from anodyne to awful.
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When the Horn Blows
February 17, 2019. On her sixth studio album, Head Over Water, Avril Lavigne has flourished. . . . No doubt, it’s been a rough patch for Lavigne – but if her new release is anything to go by, she’s come back from it all stronger than ever.
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The Skinny
February 21, 2019. An unfortunate, pretty bog-standard collection of pop songs fails to help Avril Lavigne stay afloat on her first record in five years.
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The Daily Mississippian
February 22, 2019. “Head Above Water” disappoints when looked at as Lavigne’s grand return to the charts. That’s not to say “Head Above Water” isn’t a good album. Lavigne proves she still has the chops to pull off the vocals that’s she’s had since “Complicated” and “Sk8r Boi” back in 2002. It’s just that we were all hoping for a bigger wow, and we didn’t get it.
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Cryptic Rock
February 15, 2019. . . . Lavigne takes a step back musically and uses her voice as the driving force. Head Above Water shows fans Lavigne won’t ever let anything stop her, and she’s ready to take on the world even stronger
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X-Press Magazine
February 14, 2019. Head Above Water is for the most part a cohesive effort, although the production feels overdone and confused at times. Where the record falls down is in its lyricism. . . . There’s no sign of growth despite her time taken away from the industry, and Head Above Water oozes with lyrical immaturity.
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Lizzie's Lowdown
February 15, 2019. Avril Lavigne pays homage to every era of her career on her comeback album 'Head Above Water'. One thing is for sure, the young pop punk "sk8er girl" we were introduced to in the early 00s has spread her wings.
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The Central Trend
February 19, 2019. There was no saving Avril Lavigne’s album Head Above Water.
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ACRN.com
February 27, 2019. Many of the songs have lost the edge that made her music so popular in the past. . . . There are mystery and misunderstanding, and Lavigne herself doesn’t seem to know what direction she really wants to go.
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STACK JB Hi-Fi
February 14, 2019. Having cycled through several reinventions since 2002’s ubiquitous Complicated, Head Above Water might be Avril Lavigne’s most confident statement yet.
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Album of the Year
February 13, 2019. So proud of this album and Avril! Maybe isn't a big artist evolution but, still a good and interesting record.
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Farmers' Harvest
February 20, 2019. Overall, “Head Above Water” deserves 3 out of 5 stars. The album is well produced and is emotional throughout the entire disc. Lavigne showcases her loud and powerful voice well, but she is talented enough to experiment with her sound, which she unfortunately did not do in this album.
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Gav The Gothic Chav
February 20, 2019. Avril over the course of her last couple of albums has tried her best to shake her initial pop-punk skater chick image, and for the most part this IS a much more mature album it has to be said, . . . . it’s annoyingly disappointing overall. I was hoping for something…how can I put it? Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-better.
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Boston Sports Desk
February 19, 2019. This entire album has such a melodic and stylistic common theme throughout, which adds to its overall sense of deliberate artistry and prowess.
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The Daily Campus
February 18, 2019. It’s an alright album, but it’s nothing to go out of your way to listen to unless you’re looking for some new, slow love songs.
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WHO Magazine
February 18, 2019. The singer reflects on her health scare on the long-awaited 'Head Above Water'. That fight courses through her sixth album, Head Above Water, which resonates with the triumphant energy of someone who has been to Hell and come out the other side. Vocally, the 34-year-old has never sounded better.
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Rock Sins
February 15, 2019. Longtime fans of Avril Lavigne such as myself are very glad to see her well enough to even be making albums again, as this was never a guarantee. . . . . It’s just a shame that such an eagerly awaited return has produced such an inconsistent result.
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Best News Update
February 14, 2019. AVRIL LAVIGNE SEARCHES FOR HER SOUND ON HEAD ABOVE WATER.
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Fortitude Magazine
February 15, 2019. Avril Lavigne is finally back, showing us a more personal side to her music we've only caught glimpses of in the past. Head Above Water is gorgeous, but we do miss the tongue-in-cheek bops of the past.
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PureMzine
I genuinely don’t have a bad word to say about this album. Boasting a collection of beautifully sung and immensely impactful pop/rock tunes, it’s a magnificently meaningful and strikingly elegant record that kept me completely spellbound from commencement to conclusion and I very much recommend taking the time to check it out.
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laut.de
February 15, 2019. An overproduced lump sticking all feelings together. Even though an emotional background carries the album, Avril Lavigne does not convey it believably.
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The Star
March 1, 2019. Lavigne is coming off a five-year hiatus and an illness and grappling with the sort of identity crisis that persists when you get your big break at 17 and have yet to make a record that decisively stamps out an identity of your own.
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Plattetests.de-Rezension
February 15, 2019. The real problem of "Head Above Water" is that the album is passing by without seriously leaving a trace. What could have been a restart mutates into a creaker. It is understandable that you can not and do not want to be the kohl girlie at 34.
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Dansende Beren
February 15, 2019. The album is miles away from the punk pop from the first years of the Canadian career, but surprises us in a good way. The singer returns with a lot of drama, but at the right moments the drama is interspersed with a music of a completely different genre.
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