From: owner-deconstruction-digest@smoe.org (deconstruction V.) To: deconstruction-digest@smoe.org Subject: deconstruction V. V4 #2 Reply-To: deconstruction@smoe.org Sender: owner-deconstruction-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-deconstruction-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk deconstruction V. Saturday, June 15 2002 Volume 04 : Number 002 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Deconstruction: Bad Bad One Review [darren@bendcable.com] Deconstruction: Bad Bad One Review [darren@bendcable.com] Re: Deconstruction: Bad Bad One Review [space_bandits@webtv.net] [none] [darren@bendcable.com] Deconstruction: Re: reviews [space_bandits@webtv.net] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 09:16:39 -0700 From: darren@bendcable.com Subject: Deconstruction: Bad Bad One Review Meredith Brooks gets caught in trite pop-rock-chick vortex 06/10/02 SCOTT D. LEWIS Artist: Meredith Brooks CD: "Bad Bad One" (Gold Circle) Grade: C- The buzz: The sometime Portlander who hit it big in 1997 with "Bitch" delivers another familiar and formulaic album that has failed to make a dent on the charts. Career capsule: Meredith Ann Brooks was born in Oregon City in 1958 and was raised in Corvallis. She played in several mid-'80s small-splash Northwest bands, such as Lips and Meredith Brooks and the Angels of Mercy, before packing it up for Los Angeles. Stalled in the local club scene there, Brooks underwent a marketing makeover and broke out with a Capitol Records' contract and the smash single "Bitch." This CD: "Bad Bad One" -- Brooks' third full-length record - -- marks her departure from Capitol to the tiny Gold Circle, but it certainly does not signal any change in form. Brooks is still playing the role of The Chick: leather and lace, sugar and spice, a costly haircut and dirty bare feet. She's a little edgy and questioning, she's tough but not too tough to love, she's sweet, sensitive, silly and most of all spirited. Which is to say that she's straight from a mold already over-cast by the record industry. If you've ever wondered what lay at the intersection of Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow, "Bad Bad One" holds your answer. At several points, Brooks turns squarely in one direction or the other, and you'll nearly catch yourself going into (isn't it) "Ironic" mode, or questioning if you slipped in "Tuesday Night Music Club." The references are so unabashed and unrelenting, including a re-stolen Lou Reed scat motif, that each song sounds like a little pop puzzle. To her credit, Brooks had her hands in the production and engineering of "Bad Bad One," in addition to her capable guitar playing and singing, and she did a top-notch job. Everything is clean, bright and balanced; it's no wonder Brooks produced Jennifer Love Hewitt's upcoming album. Must hear/tracks to skip: The 12 tracks begin with "Crazy," a midtempo, jangly and recipe-written pop-tart tune that starts off sounding like Crow but then turns into an Alanis-like ditty. Later, during the cotton-candy-headed "Pleasure," Brooks sounds like a teen-age Morissette croaking on about some new crush. That's kind of creepy, but when you hear how much she sounds like Crow through the beginning of "Walk Away," it gets scary. A touch of Sam Phillips turns up on the lilting and ultimately forgettable "Pain." In addition to the Crow aping, a lot of Lou Reed shows up on "Walk Away." While the title hints at the source, Brooks, without a sense of shame or the obligation of acknowledgment, flat-out steals the laid-back beat from "Walk on the Wild Side" and runs with it straight into some shaky territory. Those with ears will remember she stole the same motif and mixed it with the sound-stamp from "For What It's Worth" on the "Bitch" album, the song destined to be her legacy. Brooks puts on some funky shoes and uses them to get right up on her soapbox. "High" harnesses Janet Jackson's "Nasty" vibe and some slick vocal treatment to grease the way for Brooks' preachy, just-say-no stance. At least it's not as musically lost as the Heart-y "Your Name," or the plodding, hollowed-out "Stand," which coasts the music-world tour to a stop. Other music of this genre: Crow, Morissette, Liz Phair, Sixpence None the Richer, Patti Rothberg Influences: Bonnie Raitt, PJ Harvey, Sophie B. Hawkins, Lone Justice, Pat Benatar, Melissa Etheridge Essentials: "Blurring the Edges"; "Deconstruction"; "See It Through My Eyes," a collection of Brooks' 1984 demo recordings Bottom line: Entrenched in the pop-rock-chick zeitgeist and riddled with cliche, "Bad Bad One" is just a dull dull one. Coming up: Meredith Brooks will celebrate her 44th birthday on Wednesday. She is set to open for Melissa Etheridge at PGE Park on Monday, Sept. 2. You can reach Scott D. Lewis by e-mail at JonezinMzk@aol.com. http://www.oregonlive.com/music/oregonian/audiozone/index.ssf?/xml/sto ry.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/1023537435278114.xml ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 09:16:56 -0700 From: darren@bendcable.com Subject: Deconstruction: Bad Bad One Review From the Oregonian newspaper: Meredith Brooks gets caught in trite pop-rock-chick vortex 06/10/02 SCOTT D. LEWIS Artist: Meredith Brooks CD: "Bad Bad One" (Gold Circle) Grade: C- The buzz: The sometime Portlander who hit it big in 1997 with "Bitch" delivers another familiar and formulaic album that has failed to make a dent on the charts. Career capsule: Meredith Ann Brooks was born in Oregon City in 1958 and was raised in Corvallis. She played in several mid-'80s small-splash Northwest bands, such as Lips and Meredith Brooks and the Angels of Mercy, before packing it up for Los Angeles. Stalled in the local club scene there, Brooks underwent a marketing makeover and broke out with a Capitol Records' contract and the smash single "Bitch." This CD: "Bad Bad One" -- Brooks' third full-length record - -- marks her departure from Capitol to the tiny Gold Circle, but it certainly does not signal any change in form. Brooks is still playing the role of The Chick: leather and lace, sugar and spice, a costly haircut and dirty bare feet. She's a little edgy and questioning, she's tough but not too tough to love, she's sweet, sensitive, silly and most of all spirited. Which is to say that she's straight from a mold already over-cast by the record industry. If you've ever wondered what lay at the intersection of Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow, "Bad Bad One" holds your answer. At several points, Brooks turns squarely in one direction or the other, and you'll nearly catch yourself going into (isn't it) "Ironic" mode, or questioning if you slipped in "Tuesday Night Music Club." The references are so unabashed and unrelenting, including a re-stolen Lou Reed scat motif, that each song sounds like a little pop puzzle. To her credit, Brooks had her hands in the production and engineering of "Bad Bad One," in addition to her capable guitar playing and singing, and she did a top-notch job. Everything is clean, bright and balanced; it's no wonder Brooks produced Jennifer Love Hewitt's upcoming album. Must hear/tracks to skip: The 12 tracks begin with "Crazy," a midtempo, jangly and recipe-written pop-tart tune that starts off sounding like Crow but then turns into an Alanis-like ditty. Later, during the cotton-candy-headed "Pleasure," Brooks sounds like a teen-age Morissette croaking on about some new crush. That's kind of creepy, but when you hear how much she sounds like Crow through the beginning of "Walk Away," it gets scary. A touch of Sam Phillips turns up on the lilting and ultimately forgettable "Pain." In addition to the Crow aping, a lot of Lou Reed shows up on "Walk Away." While the title hints at the source, Brooks, without a sense of shame or the obligation of acknowledgment, flat-out steals the laid-back beat from "Walk on the Wild Side" and runs with it straight into some shaky territory. Those with ears will remember she stole the same motif and mixed it with the sound-stamp from "For What It's Worth" on the "Bitch" album, the song destined to be her legacy. Brooks puts on some funky shoes and uses them to get right up on her soapbox. "High" harnesses Janet Jackson's "Nasty" vibe and some slick vocal treatment to grease the way for Brooks' preachy, just-say-no stance. At least it's not as musically lost as the Heart-y "Your Name," or the plodding, hollowed-out "Stand," which coasts the music-world tour to a stop. Other music of this genre: Crow, Morissette, Liz Phair, Sixpence None the Richer, Patti Rothberg Influences: Bonnie Raitt, PJ Harvey, Sophie B. Hawkins, Lone Justice, Pat Benatar, Melissa Etheridge Essentials: "Blurring the Edges"; "Deconstruction"; "See It Through My Eyes," a collection of Brooks' 1984 demo recordings Bottom line: Entrenched in the pop-rock-chick zeitgeist and riddled with cliche, "Bad Bad One" is just a dull dull one. Coming up: Meredith Brooks will celebrate her 44th birthday on Wednesday. She is set to open for Melissa Etheridge at PGE Park on Monday, Sept. 2. You can reach Scott D. Lewis by e-mail at JonezinMzk@aol.com. http://www.oregonlive.com/music/oregonian/audiozone/index.ssf?/xml/sto ry.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/1023537435278114.xml ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 12:37:37 -0400 (EDT) From: space_bandits@webtv.net Subject: Re: Deconstruction: Bad Bad One Review I hope the majority of the reviews are more evenhanded and favorable than that one. Yeesh... - - - -- - --- - ---- http://community.webtv.net/flyingburrito/PriscillaPresley/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 10:31:15 -0700 From: darren@bendcable.com Subject: [none] While that review is rather negative, not all reviews are. That was just a local one I found. If you go to Meredith's website there are much more favorable reviews! www.meredithbrooks.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 14:34:36 -0400 (EDT) From: space_bandits@webtv.net Subject: Deconstruction: Re: reviews Her website isn't webtv friendly so I can't access that. However, the fans on amazon are very enthusiastic. We all should review her cd on this forum. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000065VCN/qid=1024079503/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-5478868-0635958 - -------------------------------------------------------------> While that review is rather negative, not all reviews are. That was just a local one I found. If you go to Meredith's website there are much more favorable reviews! www.meredithbrooks.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< - - - -- - --- >>http://community.webtv.net/flyingburrito/PriscillaPresley/ ------------------------------ End of deconstruction V. V4 #2 ******************************