Anyone who believes that Jessica Simpson is stupid hasn't followed her career. Beginning as a young gospel singer, she achieved fame by transforming into a pop sex symbol of sorts. When she couldn't compete with Britney Spears and other stars, she settled for subjecting her marriage with 98 Degrees frontman Nick Lachey to reality television. From there, she began a dubious film career and started lines in cosmetics, shoes, etc. Now, not content to fade away, she's gone country.

The lines between pop and country have gotten more blurred as singers like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift have come on the scene. As the highest-selling genre of music, country was definitely Jessica's answer. While she did prove her talent with her very first single ever, "I Wanna Love You Forever," her music has been less impressive since then. Has her luck changed with the country album Do You Know?

Critically, "Come On Over," Simpson's first single off Know, was well-received. It sports great guitar elements and is catchy. It's simple lyrically but anyone could've done a decent job singing this song.

Some of the songs on the album are excellent, surprisingly. "Remember That" is about domestic abuse, and it tries to motivate the victim to leave the abuser by saying that the next time the abuser apologizes, remember what has happened. "Pray Out Loud" is also endearing and inspiring for those who feel alone in this world - cheesy concept, yes. But the reason why these are good is that Jessica doesn't sound like herself. It does leave the listener wondering if Carrie would've done a better job - not a hard question to answer.

Most pop singers have a signature uplifting song; Christina Aguilera has "Beautiful" and Natasha Bedingfield has "Unwritten." So to jump onto the bandwagon, Jessica has "Still Beautiful." It's about accepting that "there won't always be sunny days," but that every day that we have is still beautiful. This is a cute song that would be perfect for a road-trip playlist.

The last song on the album is a duet with Dolly Parton. While there could be plenty of jokes made about the duo, many of them below the belt, "Do You Know" is actually not bad, and both singers demonstrate their vocal ability. The song describes the beauty of a moment of love and asks, "Do you know how much I love you?" It's great for a Valentine's Day playlist - depending on one's tolerance for cheesy love songs.

Overall, it's not a bad album. Obviously, one must appreciate country music. Jessica finally gives up attempting vocal gymnastics and opts for a twang, which is more fitting. There is a jarring contrast between different times in her career; she went from "Irresistible" in 2001 to songs about God in 2008. So if you can picture someone else singing, then the album is pretty decent. But there are enough blond, female country singers who are more vested in country music and can sing better. Pigs will have to fly, though, if Ashlee ever decides to go country, too. B-

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