Pop princess' sister struggles with rock girl complex

Poor Ashlee Simpson, she is stuck somewhere between the sappy sounds of Hilary Duff and the overdrawn teen angst of Avril Lavigne. As a result, listeners get the mundane and predictable album, Autobiography. In trying to pass herself off as a rock chick, much like her idol Courtney Love, she does not cut it. Lyrically she falls short -- the album reminds me of contrived high school poetry set to dull pop/rock. \nWhile the single "Pieces of Me" has taken over airwaves, it's pretty simple -- much like the rest of the record. "Shadow" is the story of Ashlee's struggles growing up amid her sister's fame. Ironically, Ashlee wouldn't have a singing career or an MTV reality show without big sis, Jessica. Ashlee's main point throughout the proceedings is to prove that she is not her sister. I think she succeeds most in this regard with "La La," where she sings, "Make la la on the kitchen on the floor/I'll be a French maid when I meet you at the door," which is very different from her once virginal sister. \nMuch like Kelly Osborne, Ashlee's reality show-to-singing career will probably fall flat. While her show may be cute and she could very well be a "rebel," her music is typical and cheesy.