Jessica Simpson's 2008 CD, Do You Know. Photo courtesy of Sony BMG Nashville.

"I should never have been on that stage at that time. I had gone through a break-up the night before and I had not been on stage in a year and a half. My heart was there, and I so much wanted to honor Dolly. But my mind was not with it. That night was really the lowest of the low. I apologized to Dolly and she was so kind to me. She said, 'I wrote the song and I forget the words! Don't you worry about it.' In the months after, she would send me little notes of encouragement; she reminded me that we are who we are born to be. She took me under her wing and brought me to another level of faith.

"When we were recording this record I knew I wanted one of her songs. She gave me a batch of 12 songs to listen to, then called and said she didn't think any of them were right and was sending over some more. 'Do You Know' was the first song of that bunch and I knew it was right. I loved it. We cut it and sent it to her and she was so supportive and flattering. Then she offered to sing on it and 'Dollyize it.' I just couldn't believe it. Our voices blended so well together. Listening to that song now just makes me smile. The experience at the Kennedy Center ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me."

After a lengthy absence, Jessica is back where she feels happy and comfortable, on stage in front of a live audience. Each performance, she previews each of the songs with a story, sharing with the audience the truth behind the song. "It's like a live listening party every night. What is so great about this record and these songs is that I don't have to embellish them. They don't need a pyro display to get the point across and I don't have to learn a bunch of choreography. I can just get up there and sing my music, and the songs speak for themselves.

"Coming to Nashville and to country music was both a test and a leap of faith for me. But in this place of honesty and trust and hope, I've discovered so many things I left behind along the way. I've come back to who I was growing up. I believe if you follow your heart and be quiet, you will find the answers, you will find yourself. I found myself in this record. 'Do You Know' is a song and a metaphor for my life right now. 'Do you know who I really am?'"

With the release of Do You Know, the world will receive the most honest understanding yet of who Jessica Simpson really is.