cletta1201's Full Review: I Am Me by Ashlee Simpson
Oh pop music how I love you so! With your deliciously tarty melodies and songs about love gone awry – you make my heart swoon. With this declaration comes no surprise that I actually likeAshlee Simpson and I’m not afraid to admit it.
Of course we all remember her Saturday Night Live debacle and her getting booed at the Orange Bowl, but we know how fickle the public can be. They’ll build you up and in an instant, tear you down. And while it seems to be the du jour thing to not like Ashlee Simpson, her debut album (Autobiography) went multi-platinum and was the 9th biggest selling album of 2004 – so boo that.
Coming off of all of 2004’s drama and trying to put a focus back on music is definitely an uphill battle and one that Simpson didn’t entirely win. Completely cleared from her older sister Jessica’s (Team Lachey all the way!) shadow, the younger Simpson’s sophomore album I Am Me is the same blend of pop and (pseudo) rock/punk that earned her acclaim the first go round.
What I Am Me isn’t, is as good as Autobiography. Comparatively speaking, the former is not as cohesive and the latter – well-executed and solid. I Am Me does have some really bright spots however, like the naughty ”Boyfriend” which is Cyndi Lauper meets Britney Spears and it’s sing-song hook is infectious because you know Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee didn’t steal your boyfriend (wink). Equally saucy is the girl’s night out anthem, ”L.O.V.E.” who’s spelled out refrain is sweet and defiant.
Much of I Am Me has an undercurrent of 80’s pop music mixed with a strong influence of Debbie Harry, Pat Benatar with a little bit of Gwen Stefani thrown in. This mélange is pulled off well on tracks like ”Burning Up” and ”Coming Back For More” which groove hard without being the least bit pretentious.
When the album slows down, things get a bit unfortunate. Both ”Catch Me When I Fall” (written after the SNL hoedown) and ”Say Goodbye” have a tragic victim sentiment to them that doesn’t do much for Simpson. What ”Say Goodbye” does have working in its favor is that it’s the best example of what Simpson is capable of vocally and she sounds good. Her voice has a husky feel to it that is clearly unique.
- Final Thoughts -
What I Am Me as an album does accomplish is setting up Simpson as a girl’s girl. She’s a regular, average twenty-something who falls in and out of love and writes (sometimes horrible) poetry about it. She is often angst-ridden (the very well done and album standout ”In Another Life”) and she loves her friends. It also separates Ashlee from her more sugar-coated counterparts as the girl with an edge. She’s sassy, a little bit hard and apparently not giving up just yet.
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