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The Heldenfiles - ABBA Together.
Cleveland Orchestra shines at Blossom season opening
Summer music fests carry a hefty price tag
DVD versions of shows might fall short
'Diary of a Punk' is candid memoir of ex-Clevelander
'Burn Notice' among week's hot shows
'The Cabaret Girl' is adorable, but several flaws take their toll
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Akron Law Café:
Exxon Saved From the Rocks: The Supreme Court Limits Punitive Damages
The Heldenfiles:
Rethinking Paul Newman, Part 1: "Nobody's Fool"
Balanced Ledger:
Olympics, interested?
Patrick McManamon:
Yellowstone, C.C. Sabathia, Brian Windhorst and … yes … Yellowstone
Browns Bulletin:
ESPN's Browns love-in chugs along
Cleveland Browns:
Bentley leaves minicamp
Cleveland Indians:
Spanked on Independence Day
Akron Aeros:
All Stars, Roster Moves and More!
Akron Zips:
Contemplating fall camp
Varsity Letters:
CVCA junior soccer stars Speas & Mason to play at UA
Kent State Sports:
Jarvis on Maxwell watch list
Ohio Politics:
Back to School Shopping for $1 Million in Cleveland
All Da King's Men:
Words For Independence Day
Blog of Mass Destruction:
You Go To An Election With The Media You Have
Akrocentric:
Charles Taormina discusses "Acceptance of Individual Authors," self-publishing resources
Akron Gamer:
Harmonix keeps on Rock'n
BokBluster:
Patriot Games
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Is there an American Girl store in Ohio?
Olympic Dreams - Running:
Back to Phase One
Sound Check:
Tim McGraw wows and woos Blossom
Tia's Trends:
Saks Saleswoman Accused of Stealing $1 Million
Published on Sunday, Apr 27, 2008
BITTERSWEET WORLD Ashlee Simpson
Geffen
Cast as the daring rock rebel in the Simpson family reality-show empire, Ashlee Simpson is hardly less plastic than her nice-girl sister, Jessica.
Her debacle of a Saturday Night Live appearance exposed her as a lip-syncher, and when she's not singing about her rocker-girl independence, she's working on Broadway. Lately, she and her fiance, Pete Wentz, of Fall Out Boy, have been teasing the tabloid media by refusing to confirm or deny pregnancy rumors.
But for Simpson as a pop contender, none of that matters. On her third album, Bittersweet World, the defiant pose — ''I just wanna color outside the lines,'' she pouts in Rule Breaker, sounding about as dangerous as an unruly kindergartner — gives her fertile songwriting territory.
Simpson is smart enough to work with expert hitmakers, among them the producers Chad Hugo from the Neptunes (his partner, Pharrell Williams, has been working with Madonna) and Timbaland (who squeezed Madonna and Simpson into his schedule). And she's shameless enough to mimic Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, Madonna and 1980s hits from Toni Basil, Tom Tom Club and Missing Persons. The shamelessness pays off in songs with crisp beats, teen-seeking choruses and cheerfully obvious lyrics.
Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya) and Ragdoll, her collaborations with the electro up-and-comer Santogold, are perky, syncopated staccato complaints. No Time for Tears segues spooky Eurythmics verses into a pop-punk chorus.
Simpson ricochets from vampy self-esteem (Hot Stuff, Boys) to postbreakup sulking (Little Miss Obsessive) to generically sincere protestations that ''it's not easy bein' me.'' It couldn't be more calculated, but that doesn't prevent it from being catchy, too.
— Jon Pareles
New York Times
BITTERSWEET WORLD Ashlee Simpson
Geffen
Get the full article here.
