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Well, the little punk rock pop princess is at it again.  Ashlee Simpson has had her fans waiting with great anticipation for her third full length album, Bittersweet World.  Where Ashlee started her career as “Jessica Simpson’s little sister” and not much else, she has managed to push past that identity and create a name for herself.  The days of her being the less attractive, less talented little sister are long gone as with Bittersweet World, Simpson truly breaks onto the scene as an artist in her own right.

Where Simpson’s previous albums were either very poppy or attempted to be punk rock and only had one or two memorable tracks, Bittersweet World houses a more dance-style beat and a whole string of really likeable songs.  The album has an 80’s electronic feel to it and Simpson gives a credible performance in eleven tracks whose super-catchy lyrics are impossible to forget.

Simpson opens her album with a rather eerie song titled Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya) which details a girl talking to her inner demons telling the voices that if they don’t shut up, she’s going to kick ‘em out.  Not only is this song very cleverly written, it’s also got an infectious drum beat, combine that with Simpson’s raspy voice and it makes for a perfect song of insanity.

Another twist to the typically pop-friendly tracks that Simpson comes out with is Hot Stuff, a definite winner from this surprisingly amazing album.  Here, like a few other tracks from Bittersweet World, Simpson ventures into the land of girlish rapping while discussing being drunk and sexy in an almost sarcastic tone, giving her an interesting edge and a moving away from being a predictable cutesy blonde popster.

And of course, what would a pop album be without the one slow ballad.  For Bittersweet World, it’s Never Dream Alone. While Simpson’s never been known for her amazing vocal range, this song is a testament that she can give a good performance in a song that lulls the words, “Fall asleep with your hand on my heart, you wont let it skip a beat” without having to reach the octaves and harmonies that her gospel-singing sister does.  Somehow this song seems to fit with the rest of Bittersweet World’s vibe, despite the fact that it only houses stringed instruments, a piano, and soft vocals.

You can say what you want about Ashlee Simpson, but Bittersweet World feels like an attempt for her to stop trying to be something she’s not.  Unlike her previous endeavors, Bittersweet World is a group of really fun songs and while she may owe a lot of thanks to her crew of noted writers and producers, this album is good.  Simpson seems like a fun-loving type of kid that just wants to have a good time.  In a nutshell, Bittersweet World is 40 minutes of fun!