CD Review: Ashlee Simpson, "Autobiography" (Geffen)

Thankfully, on her debut album, Ashlee Simpson, Jessica's raven-haired sister, offers music--and an image--that's more Avril than Britney. Passing on her sister's affinity for heartless neo-soul, Ashlee instead relies on glitzy guitars and big power-pop riffs.

Sure, the disposable formula wears thin, but Simpson at least does her best with the material at hand, much of which she is credited for helping to write--alongside a gaggle of established songwriters. (The piano-driven "Unreachable" was even co-written by '80s ace Robbie Nevil.)

Simpson's lyrics are perfect for that precocious 12-year-old--not a girl, not yet a woman. And like her contemporaries, Simpson is faced with the challenge of confronting womanhood (e.g.: libido, independence, boys) while still appealing to the under-16 crowd. Invariably, this market-minded approach makes the material less appealing.

The album is front loaded with rockers, the more introspective tunes saved for the platter's second half. On the sexy and suggestive romp "La La," Simpson growls, "I'm like an alley cat/Drink the milk up, I want more." By the album's end, she is begging for something a little more meaningful. On the atmospheric closer, "Undiscovered," Simpson recalls a younger Courtney Love, "All the things left undiscovered/Leave me empty and left to wonder."

With any luck, Simpson will discover those things by her second autobiography.