Jessica Simpson, famous for her blond beauty, incredible voice, marriage to Nick Lachey and tuna-chicken mix-up on her former hit reality TV show, has just debuted her country music CD, Do You Know.
Highly-anticipated, it is unmistakably Jessica Simpson, matched with a background of country harmonies and instruments.
As an avid country listener and a Jessica Simpson fan, I loved the album. Though it was not quite the change from the "old" Jessica Simpson I was expecting, I was pleased that she managed to keep the amazing sound she became known for while incorporating a country feel.
Simpson lives up to her reputation for throaty, impressive vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Her single Come On Over, already popular on country music radio, is the first track on the CD.
Though the album is her big shift into country music, it is much less "country" than Brad Paisley or Tim McGraw.
Instead, her songs fit into the increasingly popular pop-country genre perpetuated by sensations such as Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift and will appeal to listeners of America's Top 40 as well as Chili Cook-Off regulars.
Remember That, the second track on the album and newest single, sounds startlingly personal, as Simpson croons: "Remember that you're gonna be alright. Take it from me, I've stood there in your shoes." The twanging instruments complement Simpson's strong, impassioned voice.
Throughout the CD, the theme continues: a few country harmonies behind the complex melodies of more traditional instruments and Simpson's lyrics.
Simpson was raised as a Christian and got her start in the entertainment industry singing on the Christian music circuit. Her father is a preacher.
On her new album, she throws back to her early Christian music days with Pray Out Loud. Obviously religious and God-loving, the track fuses Christian-pop with subtle country undertones and is surprisingly effective.
Dolly Parton joins Simpson in Do You Know, the title track and the last track on the album. Parton and Simpson's voices blend together well, though Parton's southern accent is more distinctive.
The track is conspicuously slower and more "country" than the rest of the album, sounding more like an old Dolly Parton track than a new Jessica Simpson one.
With fresh lyrics and a fresh sound, Simpson's endeavor into a new genre is as big as it is exciting.
Do you know the new Jessica Simpson?
Oct 10 2008, 02:34 PM
