Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Few acts epitomise the failings of corporate pop as completely as Ashlee Simpson, one of those insubstantial presences who seem to emanate from the industry like marsh-gas, shape-shifting to fit whatever trends briefly catch the public ear, then evaporating to leave only a lingering whiff of inauthenticity.
The back-cover shot of this third album illustrates her colossal irritant quotient, from the artfully angled, unlaced trainers to the headphones worn outside her hoody and the finger poised reflectively at her lip. Former releases have presented her as Alanis/Avril-lite, a plastic rebel whose principles are summarised here in the ghastly "Rule Breaker": "We like to break rules/ Both got tattoos/ We tend to smash things/ And we like to scream". Tattoos, eh? Wow! It's produced by Timbaland in his "rock" style (which doesn't), while elsewhere he and Neptunes' Chad Hugo try to effect her move from rock to dance-pop with various bastard hybrids of perfunctory beats and grunge guitar in tracks like "Ragdoll". Her voice is all attitude and no emotion, a textbook case of style over substance – and given the paucity of style, that's as insubstantial as it gets.
Pick of the album:There isn't one
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments