Jessica Simpson goes country

She's tried her hand at dance-pop, power ballads and some of the worst cover versions in music history - have you heard her rendition of 'Angels'? How long did it take you to recover? Now she's having a crack at country.

Actually, this isn't a bad move for Jessica Simpson, who's always more convincing being the ambitious but slightly dim Texas girl that she actually is than when she's trying to play the glamourpuss. After all, it's hard to "do" sultry when you made your name asking whether buffalo wings were made of real buffalo and getting properly baffled by a brand of tinned tuna called Chicken of the Sea.

And it helps that 'Come On Over', her first single for Columbia Nashville, is actually pretty decent. It's a pleasant, toe-tapping country-pop tune that's lighter than anything Carrie Underwood would belt out, but less plasticky than Shania's poppiest moments. Speaking of Shania, is it any coincidence that Jessica's first country-pop single shares its title with the biggest-selling country-pop album of all time? Hmm...

Anyway, 'Come On Over' is essentially about Jessica being so into her man that she'll take him however the hell he is. "Baseball cap and torn-up jeans, a pair of flip-flops on your feet - just come on over," she tells him at one point.

"If only she'd been that easy-going with Nick," Newlyweds fans will no doubt think.

You can listen to a clip of 'Come On Over' on Jessica's MySpace page, and there are full versions all over YouTube. Do You Know, her first country album, comes out in the US in September.

What do you think of Jessica Simpson's new direction? Do you like 'Come On Over'? Use the space below to have your say.