TORONTO -- It has been almost six months since the lip-synch that was heard around the world. And Ashlee Simpson, who was caught using a "guide vocal" during her Saturday Night Live appearance last October, addressed the situation early in her sold-out show last night at Massey Hall.

"As you know I've had a hard year but I'm okay with that, and this next song has become my anthem," said the 20-year-old singer while introducing her third tune, Love Me For Me.

Clearly, the majority of screaming, young, female fans in attendance did love Ashlee unconditionally -- as many of their waving placards stated -- even if the rest of us may be wondering how this pretty, raspy-voiced singer has sold over three million copies of her 2004 debut, Autobiography.

It's not that Simpson's pop-rock-lite sound -- reminiscent of every other teen-appealing female singer out there right now -- is that offensive. It's just not that special, and hardly original.

And in a live setting, the music and the singer's weaknesses became even more apparent. (The SNL guide vocal apparently became necessary due to a severe case of acid reflux.)

As part of the hour-long show last night, Simpson did slip in a three-song acoustic set of Giving It All Away, Love Makes The World Go Round, and Hollywood presumably to demonstrate that she was actually singing.Frankly though, the hardest thing to ignore was Simpson's butt cleavage so clearly on display at the back of her pants, weighed down by a microphone battery pack, as she frenetically ran around the stage. (Memories of Avril Lavigne at the MuchMusic Video Awards anyone?) Simpson, who was making her Toronto concert debut last night, is a wired, hyper performer whose constant hip-shaking resembled a hula dancer on crack when she wasn't running off stage to change into yet another costume. (They ranged from blue fedoras to pink boas.)

And who decided it was a good idea for Simpson, backed by a five-piece band, to tackle songs by two of the most formidable frontwomen of the '80s -- The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde and Blondie's Debbie Harry -- on Brass In Pocket and Call Me, respectively? Madonna's Burning Up, which followed those two covers, was a better fit.

The younger sister of big-voiced pop diva Jessica, Ashlee Simpson is trying hard to forge her own identity as she herself sings about on the song, Shadow.

It's just that she's so strident in her efforts that any apparent talent evident on hook-filled hits like La La and Pieces Of Me is overshadowed.

It took about two weeks for all 2,500-plus tickets at Massey Hall to be sold, so Simpson is clearly not in the same league as her contemporary Hilary Duff, who sold out two shows at the Air Canada Centre back in January.

Still, given her album sales, don't feel too bad for Simpson.

She has a movie coming out in the summer that was originally called Wannabe but has been renamed Undiscovered -- just like one of the songs she performed last night from Autobiography.

Cross-promotional marketing wins yet again.