The Younger Simpson Sister Publishes Her Autobiography; No, Maggie Didn't Learn To Sing

Who said good things don't come out of Texas? We've had a couple of presidents...oh, wait...good things? Ashlee Simpson would fit in that category. I can hear a couple of you readers (namely guys) writing me off here. "Oh, he's gone off the deep end!" Not so, my friends. I decided to review this album because I have an innate curiosity that inevitable extends to my music tastes.

The Waco, Texas-born singer is the younger sister of pop princess Jessica Simpson. Ashlee is, as evidenced by her music, a budding star in her own right. When Jessica became very popular, it was during a year or so when there was an overabundance of singers for the early teen girls to idolize. Ashlee Simpson comes into the picture when modern rock sorely needs another female to come into the picture and shake things up. We've had to put up with the rockers that don't play instruments anymore, the rockers who want to rap, the rockers who don't do anything well, and Courtney Love, who in my opinion, belongs below that last category. Ashlee presents intelligent lyrics with most excellent instruments behind her. Her vocals are dripping with passion for what she does and what she sings about, as well as a pretty good sense of humor. There were moments here that were just laughable (the beginning of Love Me For Me is one of them. The sassy rock singer seems like she wants not to follow in her sister's footsteps, but to cut to the front of the line in modern rock. And if you're inconvenienced by that, too bad. Now, before I bore you all to death, here are my thoughts on the album itself.

Oh, wait. One more thing. For those who still don't get what I'm trying to say, here's the cliff notes version. Ashlee Simpson has a singing ability much like a harder-rocking Alanis Morissette, with the sassy aspect of Avril Lavigne, and the poise of such singers as Sheryl Crow.

Starting with a soft guitar intro, Ashlee's voice begins to sing, when the tempo kicks up tenfold. Rocking guitars and drums back her vocals. To say this song surprised the hell out of me is an understatement. I was expecting something softer and more elegant, and thus similar to her ditzy sister. Between almost raucous lyrics and a voice that seems a cross between Courtney Love (if she could sing) and Sheryl Crow, Ashlee Simpson does an excellent job leading off the album, especially with her hilarious contradictory lyrics and sassy attitude.

I'm a famous girl in this messed up world
I'm a sexy girl in this crazy world
I'm a simple girl in this complex world
A nasty girl, you wanna get with me?
You wanna mess with me?!...

Pieces Of Me is the overplayed single I'm sure we've all heard half a million times on MTV, VH1, and every radio station in all fifty states and Canada. Frankly, the song sounds crisper on the album. Backed by simple guitar melodies and consistent drums, her vocals are still a little irritating from having heard before, but it's still not bad. If I hadn't heard the song previously, I'd give it a very good rating.

Shadow is a song about her sister, Jessica. It's almost resentful at the beginning; although why would you resent someone who didn't know Chicken Of The Sea was actually tuna? Backed by acoustic guitars, her voice shows amazing range an passion. Her style is firmly stuck in the rock genre; none of the pop music here. Grinding electric guitars and almost heavy metal drums back Simpson's voice on La La. Except for the almost ludicrous title and chorus, this song is both a heavy rocker and an interesting look at the more badass of the Simpson sisters (and I ain't talking about Maggie). So far, the album is something that even the most conservative guy should be able to at least partially enjoy.

Love Makes The World Go Round starts out slow, with Ashlee singing passionately but softly. Then when the guitars and drums kick in, the song gets a new life breathed into it. This is about the most pop-music geared song so far, but the guitars and thrashing drums keep her from being declared the next Britney Spears. Starting with an up-tempo acoustic sound, Better Off has her singing passionately yet again. When the beat picks up, she leads into a catchy verse or two. This song really shows that she's down-to-earth about her life and friends.

Almost punk rocking Love Me For Me has jazzy sounding vocals. Ashlee is insistent and confused at the same time. This track is almost Alanis Morissette material with its contradictions. However, this is far more rocking than Alanis could ever do, in this reviewer's humble opinion. Surrender opens with a heavy bass and drumming. Ashlee sounds like she's just having a lot of fun on this song. The chorus is almost pop-rock, but you wouldn't expect a lot of these songs to make MTV if her sister weren't Jessica Simpson. Surrender is another cool track, mainly because there's an excellent guitar riff during the bridge.

Subdued drum beats intro Ashlee's whispered vocals to lead off Unreachable. This is about the most balladic song on Autobiography. It picks up speed, but not a lot after the first verse. Ashlee's voice is almost sensual at times, even with her tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Gentle acoustic guitars back her vocals in Nothing New. At least for the first twenty-five seconds. Heavy drums and rawking guitars drive the chorus along at a loud, fast pace. The verses in the song are far more passive but seemingly hold meaning beyond her years.

Giving It All Away is a steady rock song with slow parts. It's less on the heavy guitars, although the well-placed cymbal crash here and there adds flair to Ashlee's vocals. Channeling a little of what Avril Lavigne did on her most recent album, Ashlee does them correctly, well, and frankly better. She has a tendency to sing verses much more quiescently, while using the choruses to be upbeat and catchy. And it works. To close this overall unexpected album is Undiscovered. It is a slow ballad that is kept alive only by Ashlee's voice and the backing drums. There are other instruments, but they're hardly noticeable.

I checked this album out mainly out of curiosity. I'm not a pop fan at all, so I was expecting cheesy love songs much like Jessica Simpson's work. I wasn't expecting much on substance, nor was I expecting anything remotely resembling electric guitars in full force. Now that my expectations and lack thereof are entirely laid out on the table, here's what I came away with from the album. Ashlee Simpson is more talented sister by far. She can rock with some of the best that have ever done so. Her lyrics are hardly ever repetitive and boring. She takes a candid look at her own life and family throughout the album, which really sets it apart. The songs are well-written, and accompanying instrument work (namely on guitar and drums) is superb and adds to the excellence of Autobiography. I came into writing this review thinking I was going to give the album two or three stars at best. Ashlee walks out with the coveted 5-star rating.

I do not give out this rating lightly. At least not anymore. If you read my early reviews, you got that joke. Anyway, I do recommend this album. The modern rock scene has been looking for a good female singer who can rock right along with the guys and isn't the junkie and jailbird known as Courtney Love (because, as most of us should know, her album was incredibly awful). Ashlee Simpson isn't just Jessica's sister. Frankly, the two sisters' musical styles are worlds apart. Instead of coming off as cheesy and lovey-dovey, Ashlee comes off as intelligent, passionate, meaningful, and in several cases, downright laugh-out-loud funny.

Track Ratings:
Autobiography: |5/5|
Pieces Of Me: |4/5|
Shadow: |5/5|
La La: |4/5|
Love Makes The World Go Round: |5/5|
Better Off: |5/5|
Love Me For Me: |5/5|
Surrender: |5/5|
Unreachable: |4/5|
Nothing New: |5/5|
Giving It All Away: |4/5|
Undiscovered: |3/5|

Overall Rating: 54/60, which is 4.5, which rounds to 5 stars

THIS ALBUM IS A NOMINEE TO THEMAFIAGOD'S "BEST OF 2004" LIST, TO BE RELEASED IN LATE DECEMBER 2004 OR EARLY JANUARY 2005. All future nominees will receive this stamp of endorsement.

This review is © T. Pascarella, 2004. All rights reserved.

All mistakes are mine and only mine. Corrections/suggestions/comments/questions are welcome and appreciated.