Autobiography

Simpson described the process of writing the album's twelve songs as being similar to keeping a diary, and before the album's U.S. release she said that "My inspiration came from what I have gone through in the past three years. Every single day I was thinking of what I was going through and would write songs about it." The lyrics primarily deal with love and heartbreak; in particular, much of the album's lyrical content was inspired by Simpson's breakup with her boyfriend at the time, Josh Henderson. She has described the album as being "very honest" and "very true to my emotions"—"I wasn't afraid to say that I was hurting and how I got over it."
The album incorporates rock as well as pop elements, which contrasts with the more strongly pop-oriented music of Simpson's sister, Jessica Simpson. One reviewer noted that, unlike Jessica's music, Autobiography "relies on glitzy guitars and big power-pop riffs". On her reality show, Ashlee emphasized that she did not want to make her music like pop singers such as her sister or Hilary Duff; instead, she has cited musicians such as Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett as influences. However, some have suspected that Simpson's more rock-oriented sound and image represented a deliberate marketing attempt to distinguish the sisters.
Simpson worked closely with a number of experienced songwriters on the album. The album's producer, John Shanks—who won a Grammy in February 2005, in part for his work as producer on Autobiography—receives songwriting credit alongside Simpson on all but two songs. Kara DioGuardi also receives songwriting credit, together with Simpson and Shanks, on seven of the songs, including the three singles. (See the track listing.)
Critical reviews of Autobiography were mixed. People magazine considered it a "passable debut" and said that it showed Simpson was a "credible talent in her own right"; Allmusic called it "an unexpectedly strong debut". The Village Voice compared Autobiography favorably to Courtney Love's 2004 album America's Sweetheart, referring particularly to Autobiography's "Fruit Stripe bubblegrunge guitars and insanely chewy melodies and an ear-tickling production job." It also praised Simpson's singing, saying that she "can pack so much contradictory emotion into a single line—a single word—that the music can barely contain it." According to Blender, all of the album's songs "paint in huge strokes"; its review also regarded Simpson's vocals positively