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Has there ever been another pop star quite as shameless as Ashlee Simpson? Probably so, but nobody has ever quite so cravenly followed fashion's shifting tides as Ashlee, who has never seemed the slightest bit embarrassed to make herself over when styles changed. All this desperate trend-chasing has been done in public, as it damn well should be in the 21st century, so we've seen her change from the spunky younger sister of a superstar to the sad goth clown of her sophomore effort to the Gwen Stefani wannabe of her third album, Bittersweet World. Ashlee might look like a shadow of her former self on the album cover -- the years and cosmetic surgery have made her virtually unrecognizable from the awkward teen on the cover of I Am Me -- but she still sounds the same, still boasting that same thin, girlish voice that wouldn't have gotten much attention if she weren't Jessica Simpson's younger sister. Of course, the ironic thing about Ashlee's career is that she not only had bigger hits than Jessica, she made better records than her sister, too, all with a virtually nonexistent voice and a personality as aggressively shallow as Avril Lavigne. Like Avril, Ashlee has a distinct arc to her three-act career, bouncing back from a dour and dumb second album with a return to the fizzy fun of her first (unlike Avril, Simpson seems like she would at least wait for you to leave the room before she started saying mean things about you).
Where Avril beat a retreat to the bratty punk-pop that brought her fame, Ashlee has pulled a red hoodie over her head, amped up the dance beats, revved up the '80s retro fetish, and created something that feels of the 2008 moment, as it should coming from the fiancée of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz. This embrace of MTV hipsterism -- never to be confused with underground movements, this includes cameos from a guy from Plain White T's -- helps mirror the growth of her initial fans, who have grown from high school through college to immature young adults, needing this absurd new millennial go-go music for their endless parties, and while that arc is as manufactured as anything else surrounding the Simpson empire, there's none of the sad, creepy abandon of Britney Spears that makes Blackout just no fun to listen to, no matter how good it sounds. Bittersweet World is all bright neon colors and bubblegum melodies, full of naggingly insistent hooks and insipid poses, none sillier than Ashlee boasting she's a "Rule Breaker" who loves to fight over a track that sounds like diluted M.I.A. When Bittersweet World is operating at this high-energy level -- copping from bad old new wave singles ("Outta My Head [Ay Ya Ya]") and Prince (the delirious "Boys") and Gwen (pretty much everything else, but especially on the feigned social consciousness of the title track, "What I've Become," and the "Hella Good" rewrite "Hot Stuff") -- this is addictive pure pop trash that's all the more irresistible because it's delivered by such a purely trashy pop star. When things slow down -- as they do on the utterly forgettable closer "Never Dream Alone" and the quite awful "Little Miss Obsessive," where Ashlee explores the endless possibilities of the word "over" in the chorus -- it's a bit of a slog, but those moments are fortunately few and far between here because Ashlee is aggressively shallow. She's always been this way, of course, but Bittersweet World is the first time that she has made a record that lives up to her happily empty persona, something that's truly fun junk. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Where Avril beat a retreat to the bratty punk-pop that brought her fame, Ashlee has pulled a red hoodie over her head, amped up the dance beats, revved up the '80s retro fetish, and created something that feels of the 2008 moment, as it should coming from the fiancée of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz. This embrace of MTV hipsterism -- never to be confused with underground movements, this includes cameos from a guy from Plain White T's -- helps mirror the growth of her initial fans, who have grown from high school through college to immature young adults, needing this absurd new millennial go-go music for their endless parties, and while that arc is as manufactured as anything else surrounding the Simpson empire, there's none of the sad, creepy abandon of Britney Spears that makes Blackout just no fun to listen to, no matter how good it sounds. Bittersweet World is all bright neon colors and bubblegum melodies, full of naggingly insistent hooks and insipid poses, none sillier than Ashlee boasting she's a "Rule Breaker" who loves to fight over a track that sounds like diluted M.I.A. When Bittersweet World is operating at this high-energy level -- copping from bad old new wave singles ("Outta My Head [Ay Ya Ya]") and Prince (the delirious "Boys") and Gwen (pretty much everything else, but especially on the feigned social consciousness of the title track, "What I've Become," and the "Hella Good" rewrite "Hot Stuff") -- this is addictive pure pop trash that's all the more irresistible because it's delivered by such a purely trashy pop star. When things slow down -- as they do on the utterly forgettable closer "Never Dream Alone" and the quite awful "Little Miss Obsessive," where Ashlee explores the endless possibilities of the word "over" in the chorus -- it's a bit of a slog, but those moments are fortunately few and far between here because Ashlee is aggressively shallow. She's always been this way, of course, but Bittersweet World is the first time that she has made a record that lives up to her happily empty persona, something that's truly fun junk. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- Autobiography
- Released 2004
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- I Am Me
- Released 2005
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- Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya) EP
- Released 2008
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- L.O.V.E. (Missy Underground Mix)
- Released 2005
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listener reviews
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Love this album!!!
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- By EGumz
- 3/30/2009 22:59:25
- Although autobiography was my fav Ashlee Simpson album, slowly I'm listening more to bittersweet world!!! The songs I love are the most understated, like no time for tears, never dream alone and what I've become. They're great songs....and Ashlee's a great artist loved it.
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PIxsY
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- By PiXSy0813
- 12/27/2008 18:18:37
- da songs r ait but we could lisn 2 da whole song
- 0 out of 1 people
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Love it
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- By A Bogere
- 10/31/2008 18:34:45
- That album was soo good i just i had to buy a copy of it... shes faaar better than her sister...
- 1 out of 1 people
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WTF...
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- By Clumpen
- 8/11/2008 04:27:48
- Ummm, they really chose the wrong review to highlight there. It is obvious that this person was not able to listen to the album from an unbiased perspective.<br/>Just looking at my profile avatar you can tell I am an Avril fan but despite that I realize that her music has changed and she has pandered to the crowds a little breaking away a little from her punk image but that's what all singers do. Every singer should mature as they make more albums. It is impossible to stay punk forever as this reviewer seems to say Ashlee should have. <br/>Ashlee Simpson may not have a great voice but the album comes off as an entertaining listen and despite that fact that she really doesn't have as a good a voice as big sis Jessica, the album is energetic, mostly, and worth a listen if you enjoy albums such as Avril Lavigne's, The Best Damn Thing, possibly for some Katy Perry fans and possibly for some Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana fans and as the reviewer with the scathing review pointed out, some Gwen Stefani/No Doubt fans might like this although I do hold Gwen's work with No Doubt to be highly superior to this(Case and point; Don't Speak, Tragic Kingdom). All these singers have significantly stronger vocal abilities than Ashlee. The first time I listened through this album I was reminded a little of Kylie Minogue. The song Outta My Head has that same feel as the very similarly titled Can't Get You Outta My Head by Kylie.<br/>This record although not a truly great piece of singing is entertaining and although nothing really stands out when I listen to it, I do enjoy the album. Unfortunately, my three favourite songs are the bonus tracks, Boyfriend (Yes... she just tacked it on), Pieces of Me and Invisible.<br/>To Mr. Erlewine, No offence intended I am not insulting you personally, I am merely stating my opinion about the album and you rather harsh and scathing review about it. Criticism I fine, but I strongly disagree with your harsh personal criticism of Ashlee Simpson.
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EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?
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- By KT Rosen
- 7/3/2008 22:33:28
- Umm... I am a fan of Ashlee Simpson. This album is amazing, not just from a fan's point of view. Ashlee managed to wow me and created songs that were truly unexpected. Ashlee changes her sound, which is different than most pop stars (*cough-cough* jessica *cough-cough*) In my poinion, Stephen Thomas Erlewine was 100% wrong in his review. It was great to hear something fresh and new from a gifted artist. Every track on this album is different and you can tell that she has a reason for writing that song. Overall, Bittersweet World is spectacular and is a must-have for those who want to listen to something different.
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Ashlee > Jessica
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- By Lorellaih
- 6/8/2008 01:29:48
- I actually don't mind Ashlee Simpson. Fav song from this album is "Little Miss Obsessive" ... explodes in the chorus. Sounds great.
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