Blurring the Edges

Meredith Brooks' debut album, Blurring the Edges is one of the most blatant examples of post-Alanis Morissette marketing by the record industry. At her musical core, Brooks is more like Sheryl Crow -- namely, a classic rocker with slightly edgy lyrics. She even works with producer David Ricketts, the former partner of Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club collaborator, David Baerwald. Ricketts gives Blurring the Edges a radio-friendly polish, one that glosses over any of the grit in Brooks' songs. And on the album's first single, "Bitch," Brooks and Ricketts devise an Alanis clone, from the semi-profane lyrics to the caterwauling chorus. "Bitch" isn't indicative of the rest of the album, which is considerably calmer and aimed at adult alternative stations, and while she fits neatly into the confines of that format, she doesn't really do anything to distinguish herself from the legions of similar post-alternative singer/songwriters. Blurring the Edges isn't necessarily a bad album -- Brooks is a competent melodicist and her lyrics are occasionally promising -- yet it isn't a distinctive one.