Quick Spins
Quick Spins
(Fat Cat Records - Fat Cat Records)
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I AM ME
Ashlee Simpson
Even before her public immolation on "Saturday Night Live" last year, Ashlee Simpson attracted more than her share of vitriol. A much-improved sophomore album could have blunted both the criticism of her punk-rock-goes-to-the-mall aesthetic and the accusations of opportunism that have dogged Simpson since the debut of her MTV reality series.
But no. "I Am Me" is a deeply grating, synthetic offering that lacks even the modest charms of its predecessor. On her best days, Simpson has an Everygirl appeal that compensates for any number of musical deficiencies. But on "I Am Me" (which may as well have been titled "Ashlee Simpson Doesn't Like You, Either") she's cranky where she probably means to sound edgy, strident where she means to seem fierce.
Her material doesn't give her much help. It's a curiously surly mix of ballads and dance pop that cribs from neo-new-wave acts like the Killers in the same way her debut, "Autobiography," aggressively invoked Avril Lavigne. There are a few subtly rendered "SNL"-inspired ballads ("Beautifully Broken," most notably), one song ("L.O.V.E.") that sounds more like Hall and Oates's "Method of Modern Love" than anything ever should, and several tracks so awful that, contrary to the old expression, they actually aren't better than a sharp stick in the eye.
The sole bright spot is the not-too-perky, not-too-croaky "Boyfriend," the latest in a long line of songs written about actor/Lothario Wilmer Valderrama. If you count Lindsay Lohan's album, Valderrama has had more songs written about him than anyone since Winona Ryder in her heyday. "Boyfriend" may be the best thing here, but Valderrama should still consider leaving it off his rsum.
-- Allison Stewart
THE DAY AFTER
Twista
Somebody should bring Twista to the attention of quantum physics experts. The Chicago hip-hop star might have implications for the theory of relativity, because the faster he raps, the more he seems stuck in the moment.
