Customer Reviews

Do You Know? (Deluxe Version)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I've always been on the iffy side when it came to Jessica Simpson's music as her previous albums have been okay, but nothing stellar. This album, however, is without a doubt my favorite of hers. I'm not a country fan by any means of the word and hesitated about purchasing the album, but I heard some sample tracks online and immediately fell in love with what I heard.

Her single "Come on Over" is a little too upbeat for my liking, but it's a nice, mellow song for relaxing on Sundays to. The hit of the album, in my opinion, is the emotional and poignant "Sipping on History," it's beautifully written and sung and Jessica showcases her talent here. "You're My Sunday" and "Pray Out Loud" are also wonderful songs, both seem much more mature and deep than her previous albums and are among my favorites.

In "Do You Know", Jessica has certainly grown and reveals much of her personal trials and rewards. The music itself is very relaxing but also strong at the same time. It will quickly have you tapping your fingers and wondering how you became a Jessica Simpson fan.

I am writing this review from the point of view of a fan of Jessica since her very first album, "Sweet Kisses," and the release of her first single, "I Wanna Love You Forever." If you look back at Jessica's album history, you can see the amazing growth she has sustained throughout her career. I truly think that "Do You Know" is the first album since "In This Skin" to accurately showcase her songwriting and vocals skills. I would even say that "Do You Know" rivals "Sweet Kisses" in vocals. Jessica has said herself that her new album shows who she truly is as an artist and person. The result of that are strong, moving vocals with relatable, well-written songs. The differences between "A Public Affair" and "Do You Know" are so apparent! For those of you that are disappointed that Jess has left the "pop" world, I am confused where your reasoning comes from! If you truly love Jessica as an artist and person, then it only makes sense to support her career choices, especially when she is opening up her heart for all of us to listen with this album. And for those of you comparing Jess to Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift, again I am very confused! The funny thing is, Jessica isn't trying to compete with those girls. In fact, Jessica is just being herself. Jessica's new album is truly amazing and I hope everyone out there will give her a chance. She's accomplished so much in her career, and this album is a sure sign of greater things to come!

If your a fan of Jessica you'll love this album. I'm not a great fan of country music but wanted to have a listen to see what it was like. It's great, meaningful lyrics and you can still have a good sing a long to it.

I do believe that country music better suits Jessica than some of the stuff she's done. She can do some good pop too, but I'm glad she's stayed away from the pseudo-R&B vibe that "Irresistible" had. I am one of the minority who liked "A Public Affair" overall. Yeah, there were a few dud songs on there, but all in all I liked hearing her voice do different things aside from singing her lungs out. She's not Mariah, Celine, Whitney, or Leona.
I have not heard this whole album, but I have heard "Come on Over" and think she did a great job with it. I have listened to the other clips here though, and it seems more consistent than previous work. Maybe now she's found her niche and can concentrate on maturing more in this genre.
A final thought: if Jess had never done that reality show....maybe people wouldn't be so harsh, huh? But then again, the public LOVES to be adoring, fickle, and condemning, all at a moment's notice.

Jessica did ok as a pop artist, but vocally the "airy, raspy" singing was a mess. There are a few songs I did like.

With this album she sounds amazing and at times it seemed like I was listening to someone else. Country suits her and you can really hear her voice. Pray Out Loud, Do You Know, Remember That and You're My Sunday are the main ones I like.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she is more than a pretty face: she can sing!

I was willing to give this album a fair shake. I listened to the whole thing and found myself asking "why is this song so long?". Turns out, most of the song sound so similar that you have a hard time telling one from the next, an that's never a good thing. Ms. Simpson also get's carried away again trying so hard to do a good job that she over compensates. She does it with her very poor acting skills, and she's done it again here. Maybe she'll get it right next time. I don't get her as a country singer. Saying you're a country singer because you're from Texas is like saying you're an Eskimo because you're from Alaska.

If I hear one more comparision to Carrie Underwood... I'm going to scream. Jessica Simpson IS NOT Carrie Underwood. This is not a bash on Carrie. I own both of her albums and like her music. So they have dated the same guy... they used the same song writer.... both are blonde. Big deal. This is Jessica's album, so I will review this without reviewing Carrie Underwood.

Obviously pop music had turned it's back on Jessica Simpson and her dating her new infamous football player seems to have returned her back to Texas. Jessica has never hid her roots with Texas and that's where her first wedding was, so the jump to country music didn't surprise me. Actually I was thrilled when I heard that and I when I heard her first single I knew she had made it. People are going to hate it because she's Jessica Simpson and she's tarnished her golden image with a divorce. I think the move was a great idea for Jessica.

That being said... this is her first country album. There are bright spots on the album that show so much promise and there are fillers.

Come On Over: This song is just meant to be fun and roaring country girl with some spunk. It's not meant to be deep.

Remember That: One of the best songs on the album! This song is honest. Jessica was right to cry at this album. I don't know where she drew this from, but you believe her. This is a solid song and it stuck out in my memory after the first listen to the whole album.

Pray Out Loud: The song has a good idea behind it and I like singing to it, but I don't think it met its' potential.

You're My Sunday: People have accused her of being too quiet and then shocking you into wailing... when I heard it, I liked it. I thought she's describing how peaceful a Sunday without anything to do can be, but the rage of a hurricane came out in her voice. Maybe it was on purpose and think about it that way. I don't think this is one of the solid songs on the album, but I like it well enough.

Sipping On History: This is right up there with "Remember That". I love it. I love the idea and the presentation. She doesn't over sing it and shows that she doesn't have "wail" every song. She's proven she has a strong voice, but let's it just flow in this one. You can feel the hurt and I can see it in her eyes without even looking seeing her sing it.

Still Beautiful: This is like "You're My Sunday". Good song, but kinda a filler.

Still Don't Stop Me: Joins "Remember That" and "Sipping On History". This song is played out very well in her emotion in her voice. You believe it and if you've been there... you get what she's saying. Maybe that's the problem with this song though... you've had to been there to get it.

When I Loved You Like That: This isn't quite one of the bright spots, but her presentation is amazing. I get the anger, the hurt, and the vulnerability. This song is very personal for her. It comes through.

Might As Well Be Making Love: This a leftover for a pop song, I think. Of all the songs, I could see this being a pop song. It's cool to sing to, but I wouldn't have recorded it.

Man Enough: This song is kinda cliched.

Do You Know: From the first note... I knew this was a Dolly Parton penned song. People are saying this is Dolly's way of showing everyone to make face with Jessica. I don't read it that way. Dolly is golden and anything she touches becomes that. Dolly sees something in Jessica. I trust Dolly enough to give Jessica a good hard look even if I wasn't her fan before this album.

All in all, this is a good first attempt. It's not a break-through and people who "hate" Jessica are going to find it easy to hate this album. It's not a bad album. You have to think of this as her first album period. This is a whole new genre for Jessica. She's shown flashes of her own voice coming through in country music, but it might take an album or two before she gets there fully. Until then, I'll enjoy this album and have been listening to it non-stop since I got it. Good job, Jess. I think country music is where you belong.

By going back to her roots, singer/songwriter Simpson proves that when it comes to country music she's a better songwriter than singer, but not by much. Eight of the tracks bear the Simpson name under writing credits, and although there are a few good songs, this won't go down as one of her better albums.

The first single is "Come on Over" (co-written by Simpson), a short (less than 3 minutes) country-pop mainstream "driving-along-on-a-Sunday-with-the-radio-on" song, with a decent chorus and all the country trimmings.

The second single is "Remember That", another country-pop song about an abusive relationship where the guy comes begging back after he comes to his senses. The lyrics remind the victim of the physical and verbal abuse she's been through, and advises her to move on and survive. This track has a catchy chorus, but just around this point you realize that Simpson is having a hard time with the high notes.

The rest of the album includes a gospel-country track with a positive message; a couple of maudlin and drippy numbers; and a slew of generic slow country songs, where it becomes more and more obvious that the vocals aren't quite up to the challenge.

"Still Beautiful" is another track with a catchy chorus and positive message, but unfortunately it's simply not that memorable, and although it's good enough to be a single, you won't remember it in a few months. The big finale with Dolly Parton is, sadly, Simpson's worst vocal performance on the album.

She gets a passing grade on the writing, but gets an "improvement required" on the vocals.



Amanda Richards, October 16, 2008

After watching the View last week where Jessica performed I could not help but go out and buy her CD. She sang the song Remember That off of her new CD and for the first time ever in her career I saw emotion attatched to the song. I now love not only that song but many others on the CD. Most of the songs on the CD were written by her which I like in comparison to her other CD's. I have not turned the CD off yet and hope that she sees much success because of this CD. I am hoping there will be another CD to follow this one. I know I will buy it.