//Mixed Bits: Timbaland Plots ‘Shock Value 2′; Jessica Simpson Asks ‘Do You Know?’//

Timbaland worked with a slew of big names and introduced a few new ones on his platinum album Shock Value. Now the recently married super-producer is ready to hit us over the head again with another hot one: Shock Value 2. No release date has been set but he has a list of even bigger names he’s working with on this one; among them Madonna. He told MTV.com, ”Right now, I have a song with Madonna that I didn’t put on her album. I saved [it] in case I wanna do one for me.”

Others on his list include artists he’s worked with in the past and is currently working with like Beyoncé and her hubby Jay-Z (Tim will be producing one of Jay’s next albums in its entirety), Rihanna, and Jonas Brothers–yup, the Jo Bros.

I definitely can’t wait for this one!

Despite an embarrassing show of unacceptance by some in the country music world at the 16th annual Country Thunder in Wisconsin, Jessica Simpson is pushing forward with the release of her first country album. She’s titled the album Do You Know and it will be released by Columbia Nashville on September 9.

Jessica’s first single from the album, “Come On Over,” is no flop. It’s already #23 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Billboard recently previewed the album and pointed out some of the other potential hits on the album:

There are several other potential winners on the album, particularly the slow-burning “Might As Well Be Making Love,” which has shades of Faith Hill’s powerful belting, and the autobiographical “Pray Out Loud,” which nods to the rootsy charm of the Dixie Chicks.

Elsewhere, Simpson offers comfort to a victim of domestic abuse on “Remember That” and sings with Dolly Parton on the title track, which Parton penned. “I look in the mirror and I know I’m doing the right thing with my career and my life,” Simpson told Billboard recently. “It’s a great place of comfort.”

So, are you buying it? I think Jess has a voice perfect for country but I also know how loyal country music fans are to their genre and how annoyed they get when people cross into it for kicks. I guess we’ll see how well the album goes over when it’s released.

[Source]