She’s been taking a beating in the media lately for her hokey behavior at live shows (example: talking about passing gas), but it didn’t deter country fans from supporting Jessica Simpson. Her new country album, “Do You Know,” has topped the Billboard 100 country charts this week.

Despite a string of shaky live performances, fans seemed to have embraced Jessica Simpson’s transition to country music.

“Do You Know” has debuted atop Billboard’s country chart.

The album — which sold 65,000 copies since coming out last week — ranked No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200.

Simpson’s first single, “Come on Over,” hit No. 18 on the Hot Country Songs list last month.

Do You Know is Simpson’s sixth album. Her previous effort, A Public Affair, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2006 with 101,000 albums sold.

2004’s In This Skin was her highest ranking album, reaching No. 2 on the charts.

So why did Simpson decide to ditch pop for country?

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

She cited Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire as role models. “I think there is a strength in female country artists,” she added.

[From US Weekly]

Simpson has repeatedly declared that country music is the genre she feels most comfortable in, and that after her last pop album, she begged her label to let her record country instead.

That’s certainly been Simpson’s experience as she plugs her first country single, ”Come on Over,” which has convinced many doubters with its catchy hook and irresistible steel-guitar licks. At radio, the song broke the record for highest country chart entrée by a debuting solo act (although it subsequently failed to crack the top 10). ”So far people have been really kind,” says the 28-year-old Texas native, who cites Dolly, Loretta, and Patsy as heroines, and never completely lost her own twang. ”Even though sometimes it’s backhanded, like ‘I really wanted to hate this, but I like it.’ I’m like, ‘Wow! Okay. Thank you, I guess?’ Still, I’d rather it be that way than the other way around.” In this arena, Simpson arrives as both a superstar and a nobody. ”I definitely feel like I’m 19 again, like when I was starting out as a brand-new artist,” she says, taking a break in the Opry greenroom from her own fangirl visits to Roy Clark’s and Patty Loveless’ dressing quarters. ”Meeting all the DJs, letting people get a sense of who I am and why I’m stepping over into country music…I think once people sit down with me, they understand that it’s a good fit. The only [concern] is people thinking that I’m just trying to jump in for a little bit and then go back to pop.” But, she insists, ”I’m here to stay.”

[From Entertainment Weekly]

I haven’t checked out the album, because I’d rather have gum surgery than willingly listen to country music. But reviews written by people who care about this genre are lukewarm. Entertainment Weekly gave it a C+, while the reviewer at Country Universe gives it two out of five stars. But despite what the critics think, it looks like Jessica is connecting with country fans.

Jessica Simpson is shown on 9/11/08 outside the Late Show. Credit: WENN