Sound bites: Music reviews

Ashlee Simpson, “Bittersweet World” (Geffen Records)

There’s no reason to believe that Ashlee Simpson is living in a “Bittersweet World.”

Jess’ fun-loving little sis is newly engaged, with a giant sparkler from Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, and has been blissfully showing it off to the cameras.

As it happens, the songs on Simpson’s third studio album sound more sweet than bitter. Though the effervescent pop-punkster is growing up, with a maybe baby on the way, the disc retains the girly-tomboy vibe and sleek production of her previous albums.

This time around, Simpson enlisted the sonic skills of megaproducer Timbaland and The Neptunes’ Chad Hugo, and it shows in beat-heavy songs like “Murder,” featuring rapper Izza Kizza, and “Boys,” the album’s best song, in which Simpson coyly croons: “Some say I make the guys/Hyptonized/When I bat my eyes/And walk past/They say I’m such a tease/But that’s just me.”

The cheeky fun extends to tracks like “Rule Breaker,” “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)” and “Hot Stuff,” a flirty dance number; other songs take a serious tone when exploring the heavier subject of failed relationships. In “What I’ve Become,” the tabloid fixture comments on her celebrity: “It’d be nice to make/Some mistakes without observations. ... Let me live as who I am.”

Tell that to Perez Hilton. Now Ashlee, come clean: Are you pregnant or what?

CHECK THIS OUT: “Little Miss Obsessive” grows on you with a catchy chorus, and could be the soundtrack to one of Heidi and Spencer’s oh-so-dramatic and oh-so-staged scenes on “The Hills.”

Phil Vassar, “Prayer of a Common Man” (Universal South)

The title of Phil Vassar’s fourth album implies a change of direction for this country piano player known for upbeat, good-time tunes. “Prayer of a Common Man” lives up to its title, adopting a more solemn tone than anything Vassar’s previously done.

Vassar’s undergone plenty of change in the four years since his last album. He and his songwriter wife, Julie Wood Vassar, filed for divorce, and he left Arista Records for a new label home, Universal South. He’s changed his sound, too, pushing the piano into the background while emphasizing guitars and string sections.

He sets the tone right at the start, using dramatic orchestration to set up lyrics blasting corporate “fat cats” and heralding working-man struggles in the opening “This Is My Life.” Two songs — “Around Here Somewhere” and “I Would” — both testify about how it’s hard to turn around a failing relationship. Even the album’s first hit, “Love Is a Beautiful Thing,” has a reflective nature.

Vassar doesn’t turn away completely from celebratory songs: “Why Don’t Ya” is an old-school Tennessee rocker done as a duet with Los Lonely Boys. But, this time out, fun is only a diversion for Vassar. With “Prayer of a Common Man,” he reaches for something more ambitious.

CHECK THIS OUT: “It’s Only Love” finds Vassar pushing his piano out of the way for a melodic guitar rocker about recognizing the end of a relationship and moving on.

Story of the Year, “The Black Swan” (Epitaph Records)

The biggest problem with the screamo scene is how similar everyone sounds. Story of the Year set themselves apart from the pack with only moderate success on their third full-length, “The Black Swan.”

SOTY hovers somewhere between emotive radio rock and muscular metal — and one wishes they would stick with their heavier inclinations because that’s where they sound best.

Disc opener “Choose Your Fate,” “Tell Me (P.A.C.)” and “Welcome to Our New War” kick hard enough to grab your attention with driving riffs, and catchy lead single “Wake Up” will probably be a hit with the MTV crowd. But most of the other tracks sink under the weight of bland repetition.

For all the well-intentioned anti-war and let-love-rule sentiment in the lyrics, there’s just no getting around the recycled riffs and bland radio choruses that give most of the disc a redundant feel — nothing truly stands out.

While this is a well-produced and listenable record from a tight band, if someone tells you it’s another group — let’s just say Hoobastank for argument’s sake — you might not know the difference.

CHECK THIS OUT: “We’re Not Gonna Make It” falls in line with Story of the Year’s typical fare, but they tackle a subject that stands out from the rest of the disc — ignorance destroying an interracial relationship.