Ashlee Simpson

With her second record, and the lip-synching fiasco behind her, Simpson continues to carve out a distinct persona, dividing her time between sassy guitar pop and decidedly grown-up ballads. The most important thing about I Am Me is that even the fluff is solid, and Simpson comes off as a pretty cool customer.

It could have been the inspiring story of a young, maligned lip-syncer redeemed by a
second album that proved she can really sing. Instead, Ashlee Simpson's follow-up is a
collection of eleven soulless tunes that fail to even qualify as guilty pleasures. Simpson
attempts to channel Gwen Stefani on the faux-funkdafied "L.O.V.E.," warbles through a
sapped-out ballad on "Catch Me When I Fall" and even tries to evoke the Yeah Ye... More >