 | Tracklist:
1. Boyfriend
2. In Another Life
3. Beautifully Broken
4. L.O.V.E.
5. Coming Back for More
6. Dancing Alone
7. Burnin Up
8. Catch Me When I Fall
9. I Am Me
10. Eyes Wide Open
11. Say Goodbye
Release Date: 2005 | |
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| Summary: Pheonix-Like Triumph For Ashlee |
2 of 2 thought this review was well written
By Louis Tullo
I Am Me is a phoenix-like triumph for singer-songwriter Ashlee Simpson. On this new disc, she reveals an empowered and newly "legal" woman enjoying life and rising from the ashes of the past.
After the harsh criticism faced by Simpson during the infamous lip-synching incident on Saturday Night Live, it might be hard to predict what kind of sophomore effort she would release and whether it would be received as well as her first album, Autobiography. If this new record proves anything to both fans and critics alike, it is that this artist is here to stay.
Simpson’s poignant lyrics and raspy vocals coupled with another excellent production collaboration with John Shanks make this record both fun to listen to and deep. This is a truly great album because Ashlee puts up no pretense by using on lyrics that reflect themes that she is familiar with, including above all female angst.
From the fun and fast-paced first single "Boyfriend" to the solid pop cut "L.O.V.E.' Ashlee, along with Shanks and co-writer Kara Dioguardi, provide both radio-friendly and danceable tunes for the masses of teenage girls who are sure to buy this album. While the lyrics of these songs aren’t particularly deep, they have a reflective quality that contributes to the self-revealing theme of the album.
Just like these light-hearted songs, there are very vulnerable tracks that unmask the different facets of the singer that her target teenage audience might be able to identify with on a personal level. Simpson wrote "Beautifully Broken' and "Catch Me When I Fall' in response to the SNL incident admittedly, yet the lyrics of the song can easily apply to many situations of abandonment and failure. "I am beautifully broken and I don’t care if you know it" is one such lyric that really shows Ashlee finding strength in her weakness and allows her to say, on a larger scale, imperfections can be "beautiful."
"Catch Me When I Fall" is a personal favorite among the two tracks, which is piano-driven representing an excellent production decision as the music does not overpower Ashlee’s vocals and the emotion of the track. When she cries out, almost literally, "Who will be the one who’s there and not ashamed to see me crawl," you can feel the raw wound that she sustained. These lyrics make this track so powerful as they too extend to many circumstances in which listeners feel that were reaching out for a lifeline in a time of a storm.
This diversity and universality of themes helps make this record particularly fascinating to listen to. It takes listeners on a journey through the head of Ashlee Simpson that will be enjoyable for some, although it might have another impact for harsher critics.
For this new record Ashlee continues to express her struggle with boys, yet in tracks like "Coming Back For More" she expresses her inability to come to terms with her feelings as despite this frustration she continues to return to certain men in her life. Perhaps this track was inspired by her on-and-off again relationship with Ryan Cabrera, but whomever she is talking about with seems to become less paramount than the catchy chorus on top of a great rhythm guitar crafted by Shanks.
This incredible catchiness of the songs on this record will be sure to make listeners humming these tunes after just a few plays, and will ensure success of many of these tracks on radio.
On "Burning Up" Simpson harnesses the sound of Gwen Stefani on her last No Doubt album Rock Steady, with a dancehall like sound and island-style vocals. In trying to describe the feeling "between love and desire," this track would be a sure hit in any club.
With the all of the experimentation on this record, introducing a less pop-rock heavy sound, it is still hard to deny Simpson’s strength in that genre. The title track makes a powerful mix of guitar and drums with Ashlee’s signature vocals to make the statement that what you see is what you get. With I Am Me, what you get is a no-holes-barred look at an evolving artist who’s made it through the fire.
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Album Rating: 1.5
Every track on this album sounds the same to me. LAME!
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Decent enough review, but after streaming the single just to see how bad it would be, I'm going to avoid this album like a leper's sink trap.
The title of the album makes me laugh though. Yes Ashley, you are yourself. As opposed to whom, exactly? Groucho Marx?
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Talentless Whore.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
"I Am Me" just plain out was a lousy record. It lacked any creativity found on Avril's "Under My Skin." She tried to pull it off, just like Lindsay Lohan. Avril is probably the leader in this wanna be punkers in today's music. She makes a regular pop record, so do they. She gets serious, so do they. She has fun, no they do, too. The only fun part of this was "Boyfriend," and, well, listening Ashlee try hard to be serious, hard-edged when instead songs like "Burnin' Up" & "Beautifull Broken" end up in the final product.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
lmao omg. A poor rating sadddddddddddd.... This album was really rushed, and no where as good as her debut. with tracks like L.O.V.E. and Burning Up it kind of makes us think "Where did she go wrong?" but we were still obsessed and went to 4 concerts so whatever
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Mmm. Not for me.
Review is okay.
Digging: Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
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