Irresistible (Jessica Simpson Album) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Upon release, Irresistible received mostly negative reviews from critics; most of them pointed out that the album sounded generic and over-produced. Chuck Campbell of Daily News gave the album a rating of 2.5 out of 5. He dismissed the album as "nothing but a footnote", and remarked that the songs sounded too similar to works by Spears and Aguilera. He concluded by commenting on Simpson's version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow": "So if her pop fortunes fail, perhaps she'll find some contemporary Christian singers to imitate." Teresa Gubbins of The Dallas Morning News gave a similar review, and wrote that it "doesn't do much to set her apart. It's likable but definitely not distinctive – just another formulaic entry into the already saturated teen-pop field." She gave the album a grade of C.

David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a D and said that it "should have been called 'Relentless'. Exploiting every cliche in the pop 2001 handbook – florid ballads seemingly formulated for movie soundtracks it quite literally hits you baby, and more than one time," he added. Although he gave Simpson credit for being able to sing, he said that she did it in a "talent show manner". Kirsten Koba of Popmatters commented that "Irresistible is more reminiscent of trips to the dentist's office, or any equally oppressive place that only plays adult contemporary schlock." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone wrote that except "Hot Like Fire", every other track on Irresistible needed remixing. He concluded by saying, "With so many teen-pop choices, this prom-queen cyborg remains redundant and reactionary." Sal Cinquemani of Slant called the album a "lackluster sophomore" effort. He commented that there was no "original note" on the album and compared the tracks to those by Spears.

Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine graded the album 2.5 stars out of 5, and commented that the album was "filled with frothy, sugary pop tunes." He noted that apart from the title track and "A Little Bit", none of the songs "register as songs – they're just stylish background music." He concluded by commenting, "it's a bit of the inverse of Sweet Kisses, which was too heavy on ballads, and, like that record, this is the work of pros, so it sounds fine as it plays but it lacks a song as strong as 'I Think I'm in Love With You' to anchor it – so it floats away from memory." Peter Marsh of the BBC gave a mixed review; although noting that the album sounded like a mixture of Spears, Aguilera, Carey and Dion, and he wrote that it covered all the "bases". Larry Printz of The Morning Call praised the album, calling it "pleasant, palatable modern pop." He wrote that the album was "clearly the best of the lot", and commended Simpson's vocals. Chuck Taylor of Billboard gave a positive review, viewing the album as "a great step forward for youth pop and sure footing for glamorous talent."