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Main >> News Listing >> June 2004 >> Article ID 5228
 Simpson place in pop hard to peg | Type: Internet Article |
| | Simpson place in pop hard to peg | Jun 21, 2004 | by Melissa Ruggieri
Summary:
With Britney sidelined with a busted knee and Christina Aguilera sitting out summer because no one bought tickets to her tour, someone had to snatch the young-female-singer-role-model-for-mall-rats crown.
Read On For The Whole Article! |
MANASSAS Before she was a reality TV star, it wasn't quite clear where in the pop music landscape Jessica Simpson fit in.
It still isn't.
Too popular to wedge into theaters, yet not seasoned enough to handle the giant sheds she's been thrust into on her first headlining tour, Simpson is still an anomaly.
She can sing, no doubt, although she needs to stop swallowing the microphone, and her blond blockheaded antics on MTV's "Newlyweds," if not real, at least indicate some comedic acting skills (although ABC didn't think so, since the network passed on her fall TV pilot).
But with this 2-week-old "Reality" tour, Simpson is obviously trying to prove she's more than a flaxen-haired Barbie, content to pass the Swiffer while beefcake hubby Nick Lachey (aka The Most Patient Man in Showbiz) looks on with an amused smile.
A Simpson concert is a safe enough family night, evidenced by pockets of parents trailing teenage girls wearing homemade "I love Jessica" tank tops and sporting scribbled song lyrics down their arms. With Britney sidelined with a busted knee and Christina Aguilera sitting out summer because no one bought tickets to her tour, someone had to snatch the young-female-singer-role-model-for-mall-rats crown.
It was immediately obvious at Saturday's Nissan Pavilion show that Simpson is going to play this dumb blonde thing to the hilt, as a video depicting a "Spinal Tap"-like moment - Simpson and her entourage scurrying around back stage, unable to locate the stage entrance - signaled her arrival.
Her one pre-MTV semi-hit, "I Think I'm In Love With You," soon gave way to clips from "Newlyweds" as Simpson intermittently sang Donna Summer's "She Works Hard For the Money." Simpson isn't a natural performer, but she also doesn't attempt forced choreography, choosing instead to flutter her arms and slink around the stage like a Junior Miss America.
While her big voice infused Robbie Williams' ballad "Angels" with requisite passion, her histrionic cover of "Take My Breath Away" looked - and sounded - like something out of a Clairol commercial. Simpson stood in the path of a whipping breeze while a video of moving clouds raced behind her; a pretty picture that induced no feeling except a yawn.
Given her limited repertoire, Simpson relied on another stall technique besides the "Newlyweds" clips. Contest winners - most of them preteens - stood eagerly along the sides of two staircases flanking the stage, and every third song or so, Simpson sauntered over for an awkward Q&A session.
We learned that she and Nick prefer living in Los Angeles to her native Texas and that if she could change one thing in her life, she'd like the paparazzi to leave her alone. Give it time, hon.
As the concert wore on, often feeling longer than its 80 minutes, Simpson modeled teen-ready fashions, from her openingnumber jagged, pink party dress to jeans and a sparkly top - all of which had the handful of obnoxious frat boys in the crowd of about 9,000 tapping beer cups while salivating over Simpson's physical assets.
Her six-piece band stayed tight all night, yet overwhelmed her significant voice during "Loving You" and "Sweetest Sin." But sound modulation is precisely the type of rookie misstep that will plague Simpson's career if she continues to be manipulated into situations for the sake of making a quick buck. If she isn't careful, she might soon devolve into the Charo of our times - famous for being famous.
Opener Ryan Cabrera, fresh off a tour with Jewel, kept the girls in the audience placated with his pleasant voice and artfully spiked hair. Sadly, he had to explain to the crowd who Paul Simon was before his bland, guitar-centric version of "You Can Call Me Al."
Cabrera, who used to date Simpson's sister, Ashlee, releases his debut album in August. His offerings from that - "Shame On Me," "Let's Take Our Time" and the first single, "On The Way Down" - brought to mind a combination of Jason Mraz, John Mayer and the Goo Goo Dolls, but without Mraz's vocal nuances or Mayer's guitar prowess. His are decently crafted pop-rock tunes with catchy melodies, but, ultimately, nothing special. |
 Source: TimesDispatch | |
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| Pages: [1] | avalonx: Jessica is a nice girl, but she won't ever be as big as Xtina. And Christina did sell many seats in her tours, I would rather be mad at the person who wrote this because using false arguments to write something is rather improper and totally unpleasant for the fans of all the other pop artists. But ever since what the media cares for are the sales they have of their products, may it be that way, but Xtina will be back!, so watch out Jessica!
| Posted on: June 21st, 2004, 01:39 PM | |
| | Pages: [1] |
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