Rewind Sunday: Ashlee Simpson & Jason Mraz

Each Sunday I'll (try to) review one or two albums that are at least five years old. While it will hold the same content as a regular post, I'll also be looking at whether it holds up to music today. I'm going to kick it off with a good one and a stinker (hint, look at the title. It's the opposite of what you think.)

Ashlee Simpson "Autobiography," released 2004 (Then: 4/10, Now: 7.5/10)

When Ms. Simpson burst onto the scene (and I do mean "burst," as her debut went platinum in a week), it was widely thought that she had little to no talent. Then we had the incident from SNL, the Rose Bowl, and other "hiccups" where the woman couldn't seem to get a break. Was it really deserved; is she really fit to hold the title of "worst pop star of all time?"

In my humble (or not) opinion, no. No, no, and no. Looking back, Ashlee was the Miley Cyrus of the mid-decade pop scene. She had good (if not fantastic) music, a decent voice, and, HELLO, she wrote or co-wrote each and every one of her songs. Not even Miss Party in the USA can say that. Simpson let the public's scorn get the better of her, however, and failed to deliver any solid hits after her first record.

Kind of like Avril with more personality and grit, Ashlee kicks off Autobiography with a quadruple punch of awesome pop-rock tunes. Pieces of Me may have been over-played in 2004, but it's still surprisingly relevant. Lala is pure trashy fun, and Shadow is a wildly emotional ballad about being the opposite of her sister (mission accomplished.) But the true power here lies in the opening number, which shares a title with the album. "Got stains on my t-shirt, I'm the biggest flirt, right now I'm solo but that will be changing eventually." These lyrics aren't Shakespeare, but, manufactured or not, they sound real. Which is more than big sis Jessica could ever say.

It gets a little bumpy from there on. Love Makes the World Go Round is cliche, but Better Off makes use of it's generic flavors to produce a fun mid-tempo groove. Unfortunately, the last six songs kind of peter off into "forgettable land," with the exception of the finale, Undiscovered. I'm a sucker for "last songs on the album" because they're usually the climax of emotion. Simpson doesn't disappoint, giving her best vocal and rawest look at her life.

All in all, this CD is worth going back to, if only to see what she could have been. Now expelled from her TV debut, I can't help but feel sorry for her. But as she says in one memorable line, it's easy to determine the pieces of her in this strong debut.

Jason Mraz "Waiting for My Rocket to Come" released 2002 (Then: 7/10, Now: 3.5/10)

While Simpson went on to make creative failures, Jason Mraz has recorded two albums since his first effort that surpass the original. I'm sure back in 2002, this was an achievement: the coffee house singer/songwriter goes on to land a major label deal. But now, with Hotel Cafe becoming so popular, we have all the Colbie Calliats and Joshua Radins that we need. And Mraz noticed that, as he drastically changed his style for both his sophomore and junior records. But here, before I'm Yours and Geek in the Pink, he sounds so generic. It makes for an uncomfortable listening experience, to be honest.

His "thing" has always been live performances. That is why he just released his fourth live album, because he is more energized and lucid in person than in a studio. As time went on, he learned how to adapt to make two unique sounds: one that could be fun after it was produced, and one that could be fun with no production at all. This is why his live shows are drastically rearranged, to give him the freedom to push the limits.

In 2002, though, it just sounds weird. He is drained of all emotion, making even high-energy numbers like The Remedy sound like a bowl of Bran Flakes. Robbed of the audience interaction that made tracks like Sleep All Day and Absolutely Zero fun, they lose all their pizzaz.

This CD has stuff to offer, just not anything close to his live stuff or his newer studio offerings. Frankly, there is better coffee house material than this. A lot of it. So, I'm sorry Jason, but this gets a solid "Don't Look Back" rating.