Avril back to the charts

Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne has given fans a preview of her fourth studio album by releasing snippets of the songs online.

The 24-year-old describes Goodbye Lullaby as the “most meaningful and special record I have written”, calling it “sincere, honest and close to my heart”.

It definitely finds Avril in a calmer mood if the preview clips are any indication.

This time around the former rock chick has forgone the angst of her previous albums in favour of a more stripped back, mellow sound.

Goodbye Lullaby is released on March 8.

Sum 41's Deryck Whibley 'Happy' After Divorcing Avril Lavigne

A year and a half after his divorce from pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne, Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley says that, despite their former "irreconcilable differences," the two still remain friends.

"We're on good terms now," Whibley tells PopEater about Lavigne, whom he married in 2006. Their divorce was finalized last November after a yearlong separation, and Lavigne is currently dating Brody Jenner of 'The Hills.' "I even produced some of the songs on her new album."
Doing advance promotion for the late March release of 'Screaming Bloody Murder,' Sum 41's first release in four years, the 31-year-old goes on to reveal that even with the rigors of his divorce from Lavigne, this past year has been his finest.

"This has been the best year of my life for sure," he says. "I've never had a period where I thought it was bad -- maybe going through divorce, at the time, was bad, but that's probably it.
"I'm happy with everything."

For her part, the 'Complicated' singer is finally set to release her own much-delayed album, 'Goodbye Lullaby,' on March 8. Lavigne has been seen flaunting her svelte figure in both the video for lead single 'What the Hell' and in a saucy pictorial for Italian Vogue as of late, generating buzz for the release, which is expected to be a more musically stripped-down affair than 2007's 'The Best Damn Thing.'