Jessica Simpson Starts Work on Country Album

Jessica Simpson is getting back to her roots.

The singer, 27, has begun recording a country album in Nashville, Billboard reports.

“I am a country girl,” she told the magazine. “I grew up in Texas, and country music was what I listened to. I always wanted to wait until the time was right.”

So why now? Simpson’s recent movie efforts have sputtered, with her Blonde Ambition getting only a limited theatrical release and 2006’s Employee of the Month failing to find a large audience. Her last pop CD, 2006’s A Public Affair, also underperformed.

Simpson – who’s now dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo – added that she’ll pen some of the songs for the new project.

“Writing is a release for me,” she said. “It’s a way for me to tell my story. That’s not to say I wouldn’t record a song that I didn’t write. It’s just that it has been a while since I have opened the book.”