Ashlee Simpson - Bittersweet World

Geffen 2008

Rating: 3.5/10

Look, world, Ashlee has decided to stop pretending that she is a punk rocker. With Bittersweet World, the younger, more tone-deaf Simpson sibling has wholeheartedly embraced the ‘80s, beat-tastic sound that has been gaining speed in the pop world over the years. With Timbaland and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes producing the majority of the record, it comes as no surprise that her latest is a far cry from the faux-rock that characterized her last two albums. 

The album isn’t totally worthless, however. For every cringe-inducing break-up song (“Little Miss Obsessive”) and pointless badass posturing (“Rule Breaker”), there are a couple bright spots: the dark pulse of “Murder” and the whirling guitar pop of “Ragdoll,” and no one can ever accuse Ashlee of lacking energy. All in all, Bittersweet World is more of a party than her earlier efforts, but still a plastic, manufactured one at that.

The result is a mixed bag. Luckily, the emphasis on heavy production and synthed-up beats tend to bury Ashlee’s vocals in the mix, and her voice sounds almost as doctored as Paris Hilton’s did. Lead single “Outta My Head” is built on a nagging guitar beat and a simple drum machine, but sadly the lyrics are ridiculously inane (“what you lookin’ at me for huh? / show me respect or I will show you the door”), and Ashlee fails miserably at sounding sassy.

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