NEW YORK — Talk about bad timing. At the start of a media blitz to support her new album, A Public Affair, Jessica Simpson is on vocal rest."It is true that she has indeed lost her voice," Simpson's publicist, Rob Shuter, said. "She's been ordered to rest. She can talk, she can croak out a few sentences. She sounds a little off, but, you know, she can't sing."

Simpson, 26, fell ill last Friday and has "a strain, a bruise on her vocal cord," Shuter said.

The singer cancelled an appearance on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman this week but dropped by MTV's Total Request Live on Tuesday to promote the album. Simpson, speaking in a hoarse voice, introduced music videos. She also signed CDs for fans.

Simpson hopes her condition improves by today, when she is scheduled to perform on NBC's Today show, Shuter said.

"She's trying," he said. "Everybody is hoping and keeping their fingers crossed."