Jessica Simpson Sings 'Angels'

(CBS)  It seems everything singer/songwriter Jessica Simpson touches these days turns to gold.

Her "Reality Tour" was one of the hottest tickets of the summer and drew rave reviews. Her popular reality series, "Newlyweds," has endeared her to audiences of all ages.

Her latest CD, "In This Skin," is filled with songs of love and romance and is now approaching three million in record sales.

As part of The Early Show's Summer Concert series, Simpson sang her latest single, "Angels."

She also performed a song that is very special to her and husband Nick Lachey: "Take My Breath Away."

In his interview with Simpson, The Early Show's Dave Price pointed out that she crossed over from contemporary Christian music. Now, he told her, she is a "sex symbol pop star." How is it, he wanted to know, to make that journey in such a short period of time?

"It doesn't feel short," said Simpson. "I feel like I've been working on this journey for a very long period of time. I don't take a second of it for granted. I've worked really hard to get here.

"The best is how everybody has accepted 'Newlyweds' and accepted me for me," she continued. "Now, for the first time, I'm having my success by being myself, and it's made me more successful than anything."

How do she and husband Nick Lachey handle fame?

"Well, you know, there's not a lot of privacy," she replied, "but it's kind of one of those things where you go into a movie when the credits are going, you know... You leave when the credits… I mean… Oh Lord! You leave when the credits are going and you go in when the previews are going, okay?"

Dave Price assured her, "I've got it."

Simpson: "That was a little rough right there!"

In one episode of "The Newlyweds," Simpson was shown walking out of a recording session, upset because she did not have the creative control she felt she needed, because she was being told to sing a song in a certain way. When she was working on her latest album, though, she had that control.

"I think you get more of me in my music," Simpson explained. "It makes more sense for the public to watch 'Newlyweds' and have a song that relates more to my personality. It makes more sense… I always ask Nick's opinion. Even if he doesn't give a good opinion, I still want it. I still want his honest opinion."

Price also congratulated her on her recent acquisition of Daisy the dog. "She's adorable," said the proud owner. "She goes with me everywhere. It's preparing me to be a mother, I think."

And when might that be?

"Well, gonna give it a little bit of time, you know. I'm trying to be responsible with the dog first. If I achieve that, then I'm ready to go on."