Bittersweet World

Bittersweet World

Category: (Music)

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Editorial Reviews

UK pressing of the teen queen's 2008 album featuring three bonus tracks: 'Invisible', 'Pieces Of Me' and 'Boyfriend'. Bittersweet World is the third studio album by singer Ashlee Simpson. She worked on the album with producers Timbaland, Chad Hugo, and Kenna. It has been described by Simpson as a "fun party album" with a "silly and quirky" side and some influence from 1980s music. She describes it as having a more beat-oriented sound than her first two albums, Autobiography and I Am Me, although still retaining some of those albums' guitar-based sound. Polydor.

Customer Reviews

Bittersweet World! ROCKS!

Reviewed by Thamer Saud, 2010-02-17

Ashle Simspon Bittersweet World CD was amazing
my favorite tracks are:
1- Outta My Head (ay ya ya)
2- What I've Become
3- Little Miss Obsessive
5- no time for tears
6- ragdoll
7- Hot stuff
8- Murder

and yeah, this album is different from her usual stuff, but i love it <3

Wonderful

Reviewed by Chandler Small, 2010-02-11

I liked this CD, it was different from her usual stuff, it has an eighties beat to it. Best songs would probably be "Hot Stuff", "Boys", and "Murder"

Doesn't quite Life Up to Ashlee's Potential

Reviewed by Ruthie Ramirez, 2010-01-26

Ashlee Simpson has been in the tabloids ever since her mess up with getting caught lip-synching on Saturday Night Live. Then there was a big deal about her nose job. What about her music? It seems people seem to focus on other issues just like with her older sister. Bittersweet World is her third studio album produced by Timbaland and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes. She also features guest stars in the indie/emo genre which you would think would make a more interesting album than her previous, but doesn't.

One thing I can say for her is at least she has a more hippy F*** you attitude than her sister giving her more street cred, but unfortunately the album is lacking something. Ashlee's vocals while never completely strong to begin with sound limited. The best song on the album is probably the single "Outta My Head (Ya Ya Ya) which has Timbaland on backing vocals. She is mostly at times more of a drama queen than a singer, which is unfortunate because she does show potential at times. It's just that she relies on her producers and other contributors to make her albums and write songs.

Jealous?

Reviewed by Trisha R., 2010-01-05

Jealous? Not really. Just puzzled and deeply annoyed.
I can't answer for others, but what annoys me is that there are LOTS of other, far more talented people who will NEVER get the promotion and publicity they deserve. (And I'm NOT talking about myself or any members of my family.) When someone with no discernable talent whatsoever gets this kind of insane saturation promotion by the record industry, it's a fair question to ask why. There are girls at my local high school who can sing and dance and play guitar much better that Ashlee can. So, like an earlier reviewer asked, WHY HER?

A bittersweet resolution...

Reviewed by Andrew Ellington, 2009-12-10

It's slightly (or more than slightly) repetitive and not nearly as ambitious as it wants to be, but there is something about `Bittersweet World' that deserves your attention. Ashlee, the far more talented of the Simpson sisters, come at us with something unexpected (do I hear reggae influence here) and something that is, surprisingly, worth listening to. I say surprising because, as a whole, the album isn't consistent enough or memorable enough, but for some reason I can't bring myself to really hate on it.

I love `Outta My Head' and would have purchased the CD for that song alone, and I did, and I'm still happy with myself. I still adore it. Sadly, the other songs on the album that work the best sound almost identical to it. `Ragdoll' and `Murder' reek of a very similar vibe (as does `Rule Breaker').

The album sounds like it ran out of ideas halfway in.

I love that Timbaland lent himself to `Murder', probably my favorite track on the album. It's a fun song, and a style that suits Ashlee remarkably well.

I like the rest of the album, from `No Time For Tears' way of returning to Ashlee's rock roots (with a little style upgrade). Same can be said for `What I've Become'. Its fun and sounds great coming off of Ashlee's lips. `Never Dream Alone' is one of those tracks that is awkwardly great to me. Her voice sounds forcibly vulnerable here, like she is trying to be earnest and moving and it doesn't work, but the structure and the song itself is a nice touch. If she just went into this honestly and sang it, it would have been possibly the best of her career.

And then there are the tracks I don't really like.

`Little Miss Obsessive', `Bittersweet World' and `Hot Stuff' just don't really work for me. I guess I shouldn't say that I don't like them, I just know that they could have been so much better. They seem lazily constructed, especially `Little Miss Obsessive'. At least the other two have a distinct and unique point of view when compared to the remainder of the album, they just aren't executed well.

Despite this, I still like this album. Go figure. I mean, Ashlee tries something different and succeeds some of the time, falls flat others. At least she reached for something other than typical pop trash. I commend her for that, and I hope that she makes this a stepping stone for a new turn in her career.