Ashlee Simpson is starting to get under Jessica’s ‘Skin’

The album sales race is on between the Simpson sisters. By the time Ashlee Simpson’s debut album was released last month, big sister Jessica’s latest CD had already sold more than 2.2 million copies, and few imagined Ashlee had a chance of matching that total.

Yet the 19-year-old quasi-punkette’s “Autobiography” has cut deeply into Jessica’s lead. “Autobiography” not only entered the charts at No. 1 on July 28 with opening-week sales of 398,000 copies, but it has also remained at or near the top since.

The CD, which tops the chart this week with 263,000 more sales, has now sold 1.2 million copies, thanks to heavy radio play for the single “Pieces of Me” and her reality series on MTV.

Jessica’s album, “In This Skin,” is No. 20 on the sales list, but sold only 40,000 copies last week. That brings its total to 2.4 million. The album has been on the chart for a year.

Three new releases broke into the Top 10 this week, led by Shyne’s “Godfather Buried Alive,” which finished No. 3 after selling 158,000 copies. The CD has attracted lots of media attention because the Brooklyn, N.Y.-raised rapper is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

The other Top 10 entries are from rappers Mobb Deep, No. 4 with sales of 109,000, and rockers Alter Bridge, No. 5 with sales of 95,000.