Pop singer Jessica Simpson is making the move to country music after a less than stellar career in pop. Having to compete with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera for most of her career, including the auditions for the New Mickey Mouse club, and coming out on the losing end Jessica has decided to try her hand (or voice) at country.

Come On Over is the first release for Jessica on country radio and is a departure for the singer. While the name of the song is the same as a CD by Shania Twain, the sound is not the same. Gone are the breathy vocals of Jessica’s pop career and her voice is left to stand on it’s own. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound of her voice and the song chosen to kick off her “new” career. The biggest problem I see for Jessica in country is the competition from Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler. Country has had an influx of young, blond female singers in the last few years and one has to wonder if and when the fans are going to get tired of the that particular look/sound.

Country music has always been a tough genre to break into and even harder for the female artist to have a large measure of success. There are a few notables that have broken through and made the big time and managed to win more than the token awards that females are nominated for at the award shows. Entertainer of the Year awards are dominated by the men and it doesn’t seem like country music is in a hurry to change that situation anytime soon. While I like the first song that Jessica has released, I am reserving judgement for her chances in the genre until her CD drops and I can hear the other songs recorded. I did listen to an interview with the artist and she has stated that she will release this CD and even if it doesn’t take off, she will keep trying until she can break through. Willie Nelson told her that country music is different from other genres basically because the fans of country actually listen to the lyrics and expect to hear a story in the songs released by the artists in this genre. Even if you can’t believe half of what you read in the tabloid press or on the entertainment news shows, Jessica seems to have already managed to accumulate enough life experience to keep her busy telling her story for years to come in our favorite music genre.