[MaryJane]

JESSICA SIMPSON is refusing to hit back at estranged husband NICK LACHEY in song on her next album AND THE BAND PLAYED ON, and has featured tracks about her friends and family instead.

While Lachey used their November 2005 split to inspire a series of tracks on his latest album WHAT'S LEFT OF ME, including the rather tellingly-named I CAN'T HATE YOU ANYMORE and ON YOUR OWN.

However, Simpson is refusing to sing about their break-up - despite living her married life in front of TV cameras for NEWLYWEDS: NICK AND JESSICA.

Her manager/father JOE says, "She's talking about having fun with her girlfriends. Enough has been said. Let's go on and live our lives. It's a lot like MARIAH's (CAREY) record, you know. They're both the same kind of singers, they're both ballad singers."

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlf...ngs_09_06_2006