AMG Review of I Am Me

Eric Schneider
All Music Guide

Although Ashlee Simpson had to deal with the Saturday Night Live lip-syncing debacle that followed the release of her successful debut, she still managed to escape the shadow of her older sister, Jessica, and emerged as a popular performer in her own right. On 2005's I Am Me, Simpson clearly revels in her independence and renewed confidence, moving forward with an energetic set of guitar-heavy pop/rock tunes. Though her music still falls into the vein of Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff, the dense, layered production of multi-instrumentalist John Shanks helps to distinguish the tunes here, which he co-penned along with Simpson.