Singing, TV and film star Jessica Simpson, a Texas native who is close friends with Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, hasn't let the mixed reaction to her foray into country music shake her faith in herself.

Simpson, who opens for Rascal Flatts on Thursday, March 12 in Phoenix, is thrilled that her first country album, "Do You Know," topped the country charts and that she's finally found what she calls her natural voice as a singer and songwriter.

She has hit some bumps in the six months since the CD's release, including a shaky performance last month in Michigan, not-great airplay for her second and third singles, tabloid coverage of her romance with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and, most recently, her weight.

But the latest concert reviews indicate Simpson, who has recorded two million-selling pop discs, is gaining confidence in performing before a new audience that views her with skepticism.

"It's important for country fans to know that I'm not just trying to come in and take their money for a CD," says Simpson, 28. "I wanted to prove that I'm doing something straight from the heart and . . . I completely made the jump to this type of music. It's a more organic way to express myself as a musician, and it's really the only way that I feel I can be understood as an artist." Read more.