Deconstruction [ENHANCED CD]

Japanese Version Featuring A Bonus Track: Little Silence.

When Meredith Brooks broke through with her 1997 single "Bitch," you could pretty much cut the irony with a knife: a song that was meant to show off her multidimensionality (as well as that of all women) instead became a song that defined her, and in many ways limited her. With Deconstruction, Brooks seems to be trying to take down that graven image piece by piece. Sure, there's plenty of energetic, melodic guitar rock similar to that with which she scored on Blurring the Edges ("I Have Everything," "Shout," "All For Nothing"), but there's also a funky edge to her take on Melanie's "Lay Down" (featuring a guest appearance by Queen Latifah), and some lovely ballads ("Nobody's Home," "Back to Nowhere"). Her lyrics aren't particularly deep (notably the overreaching and unfortunately titled "Cosmic Woo Woo"), but Deconstruction is a follow-up effort that should put an end to the name-calling. --Daniel Durchholz