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Listen to Jessica Simpson's In This
Skin, and you will hear many things: Love. Romance.
Sexuality. Sweetness. Maturity. Peace of Mind. Yet
chief among the things you will hear is the sound of
a woman becoming her own person and staying true to
her heart.
Cowritten by Jessica -- with contributions from Fran
Gold, Damon Elliott and Trina Harmon, and production
by Ric Wake and Rob Fusari, In This Skin shines a
light on a side of Jessica that she's never had the
opportunity to let free. "I've been searching my
soul for things I wanted to sing about and things I
wanted to say and so I came up with this record,
"Jessica explains. "When people listen to this
record it will make them happy."
That's because the songs on In This Skin reflect the
happiness and growth that Jessica has been
experiencing. Now married to long time beau Nick
Lachey (of 98 Degrees) and firmly in control of her
life and creative output, Jessica has reached deep
inside to come up with an album that may well be
most personal of her career. In This Skin might be
Jessica's third collection but, in terms of
emotional honesty and stylistic range, it is, in a
real sense, the first album that's truly her own.
That's because In This Skin marks Jessica's debut as
a songwriter and her lyrical and musical influences
fuel the album's thematic journeys. "I've wanted
artistic control for a long time but in the past I
wasn't able to get it," she confesses. "Being in
charge of your creative destiny is beautiful for any
artist, especially someone like me who wants to sing
about positive things and to inspire others. This
time I really wanted to make an album that was real
and organic and that you could listen to all the way
through and maybe be inspired to fall in love or
follow your dreams. "
That sense of liberation is abundant on the album's
first single "Sweetest Sin." Written by hit maker
Diane Warren and produced by Ric Wake, "Sweetest
Sin" is unabashedly carnal and, as Jessica notes, a
marked change from the giddy teen pop that launched
her career. "I'm not dancing around this time," she
laughs. "I'm not wearing that head set mic ever
again in my life!"
A celebration of love, her marriage, and making love,
"Sweetest Sin" signals a new artistic direction for
Jessica. "You'll definitely know I'm a woman after
hearing this song," she offers. "It's a deeply
sensual song but it's also romantic and recording it
was one of the most natural things I've done. It's
so great to be able to sing about things you're
going through because it makes you relate even more
to the music which makes that music beautiful."
In This Skin is filled with both beauty and love,
with lyrics drawn from personal experiences and
journal entries to create an album resonating with a
captivating reality. Just listen to the bittersweet
ballad "You Don't Have To Let Go." "I wrote that
song for my dad," Jessica says. "It was so hard for
him to walk me down the aisle and for him to handle
the idea that I was getting married and, in his eyes,
leaving. So I wrote this song for him about our
relationship and all that he sacrificed for me."
"Underneath," an emotional ode to the ups and downs
of romantic love, was penned during a turbulent
period in Nick and Jessica's relationship when the
pair embarked an ill-fated separation. Jessica cites
the love and support of her fans as the motivation
behind the album's title track's message of
determination. Set to a gentle acoustic-laced groove
"In This Skin" is, according to Jessica, about "...being
comfortable in your own skin, being worthy and
feeling beautiful. I wrote in the liner notes that
this is for all the fans. I want them to listen to
the song and let the lyrics serve as an inspiration."
Inspiration and spirit have always been crucial to
Jessica. From the beginning of her career she has
aimed to be more than just some cutie pie teen star:
she's always invested her songs with positive
outlooks and lived her life in a manner that stays
true to her beliefs.
Jessica Simpson first made her mark in the world of
contemporary Christian music. Born and raised in
Dallas, Texas, Jessica was sharing bills with gospel
great Kirk Franklin and Ce Ce Winans while still in
junior high. Word of the then-teen's phenomenal
voice and stage presence soon filtered out of the
Christian circuit and, in the late 90's, Jessica
signed with Columbia Records. Sweet Kisses, her
major label debut, was released in 1999 and spawned
the smash singles "I Wanna Love You Forever," "I
Think I'm In Love," and "Where You Are." Following
the release of her debut, Jessica hit the road,
wowing audiences worldwide with her soaring emotion-packed
vocals and high-energy stage presence. "It was an
amazing time for me," Jessica recalls. "I was 17 and
seeing the world, doing what I loved and doing it in
a way that felt right."
The title track to Irresistible, her 2001 follow-up,
was a crossover smash, charting on the Hot 100
(#15), the Rhythmic Top 40 (#12), Top 40 Mainstream
(#3) and Top 40 Tracks (#5).
Since the release of Irresistible, Jessica's been
working on her acting résumé. In addition to her
recurring role on "That 70's Show," Jessica can be
seen in an episode of UPN's "The Twilight Zone."
Meanwhile, Jessica and new husband Nick Lachey will
share their lives with fans in an upcoming reality
TV series on MTV.
But music remained one of Jessica's truest loves
and, when it came time to make In This Skin, she was
ready for this vital next stage in her career. "I
knew the sort of songs I wanted to sing and write,"
she says. "Songs that are uplifting and real."
With her new album, Jessica Simpson comes into her
own as a woman and refines her ever-evolving voice
as an artist. Collaborating with a crop of
up-and-coming writers and producers, Jessica has
created an album that sounds fresh and rings
absolutely true. Her message? "It's about love and
confidence and loving where I am in my life.". |
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