Ashley lived through her first successful Saturday Night Live appearance, second overall, tonight.

The newly re-blond performer opened with a beautifully melodic, lyrically challenged, vocally average song Ashlee said she wrote after the original SNL incident. It was sad, typical, and mostly unmoving due to lack of a personal feel. Her voice, however, pushed through its unremarkable talent to portray the true emotion.

Having “proved” herself, Ashlee’s next song selection was the obvious new single, “I Didn’t Steal Your Boyfriend.” It was a good choice; she made it through one song, it was time to kick it up and party.

Simpson’s fashion during the first number was subdued and notably uninteresting. But she returned to her rock-punk-teen style for the second go. In a black & white pro-punk style version of the Avril tie getup (a modernized and classier improvement), short ballet leggings with a flared mini, her boots took focus, again, as No-Go Rule Breakers. Chunky combat style, oh yes, oh, no! Her hair—had some strange nastiness of its own going on, as well: was that dreads?

Having concluded the appearance, the relieved singer sounded choked up when she gushed, “thank you” to the crowd. Better to lose her voice after singing!

She can also be grateful that SNL’s cast members made no mention of that other performance. They made no spectacle at all, in a move indisputably for poor Ashlee’s sake, as it would have been good entertainment to make some point of it, or good PR to try to prove something, themselves.

Will this redeem Ashlee’s career—which has been fairly off-the-radar compared to her record breaking (well, it beat her sis Jessica’s sellings) debut. I doubt it, but I say go ahead and buy her new CD. I’m behind supporting this sweet girl.