Jessica Simpson and Gym Class Heroes CD Reviews

Jessica Simpson releases her country music debut, Do You Know, on Sony BMG.

Courtesy of Sony/BMG Music

The other Simpson sister is back with a country album, while Gym Class Heroes fuse hip hop and pop in their fourth album, The Quilt. Kidzworld pops on the headphones.

Jessica Simpson :: Do You Know

There’s been big buzz about this album, Jessica’s first since 2006’s A Public Affair, which she released after divorcing Nick Lachey. Though she’s recently made more headlines for her romantic life, she’s also gotten attention for this, her first country album. So, does she succeed? Well, kind of. Her voice is well-suited to the country genre (must be that Texas accent) but she doesn’t sing much more than sappy love ballads. In the song Sipping History, she croons about wanting to be June Carter Cash, the wife of Johnny Cash, but she doesn’t quite make it. She sounds more like, well, a pop star making a country album. There’s more to country music than a love song, Jessica!

Gym Class Heroes release their fourth album, The Quilt, on Decaydance.

Courtesy of Decaydance

Fun Facts

The album includes a duet of Do You Know with country legend Dolly Parton.

Jessica will perform a track from the album on the September 30, 2008 episode of Dancing with the Stars.

Jessica stars in the upcoming film Major Movie Star as a failing actress who joins the Army.

Fans of Jessica’s boyfriend, football star Tony Romo, have sometimes blamed her for his poor performance on the field.

Hot Tracks

Do You Know, Come on Over

Rating:

Gym Class Heroes :: The Quilt

On The Quilt, their fourth album, Gym Class Heroes continue a tradition of pop-influenced hip hop. Like their peers N.E.R.D. and the Roots, the Heroes create their music with instruments instead of the usual hip hop production tools. This is a fun, soulful and melodic record, with some great, smart lyrics about being addicted to texting, family relationships and being in love. The Heroes get some help from producer Patrick Stump (the singer of Fall Out Boy) and guests Estelle and Busta Rhymes, but they do just fine on their own, too. Maybe The Quilt will help people finally start to really notice the Gym Class Heroes in a serious way…here’s hoping.

Fun Facts

Besides helping produce some of the tracks on their album, Patrick Stump also got Gym Class Heroes signed to Decaydance Records, which is his bandmate Pete Wentz’s label.

Gym Class Heroes songs are featured in two EA Sports video games: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 and Madden NFL 09.

Before releasing The Quilt, the band previewed some of the songs on an EP called Patches from the Quilt.

The first shows Gym Class Heroes ever played were friends’ birthday parties.