Meredith Brooks’ 1997 breakthrough album, Blurring the Edges, is a pop rock album that acts as a precursor to many of the early 2000s hits and icons. (Some people even believe that Brooks and Alanis Morrisette are the same person.) The album is made primarily of just Brooks’ raw vocals and guitar playing (she did all of the guitar work on the album, with her guitar even being featured on the album cover), making the music feel more relatable and direct. 

Throughout the album, Brooks remains self-aware while intentionally contradicting herself to create a sense of irony, such as with the first song on the album, ‘I Need.’ In this song, she details all of the things she wants in her life, then remarks at how easygoing and unmaterialistic she is, “That’s all I need/see how easy I am to please…Maybe then I will be complete.” In another moment of reflection, on her second song of the album, where she describes all the different facets of herself and their complexities, she sings, “You must have been relieved to see my softer side/I don’t envy you/I’m a little bit of everything all rolled into one.” This dichotomy between her rough exterior and sentimental interior is reflected within the tracklist. She saves her softer singing voice, accompanied with more background instruments and production that gives her work a blurred, or muffled effect, for the few songs she has about her potential partners, such as with ‘Watched You Fall,’ ‘What Would Happen,’ and ‘Stop.’ 

     As someone who typically loves rock music, I really enjoyed this album. I also appreciated how each song felt like its own narrative with its own unique purpose while still working well together to create a cohesive collection of songs. In addition, her song ‘Pollyanne,’ in which she makes fun of people that think it is cool to act indifferent or snarky, feels even more relevant in our current society that prioritizes being nonchalant. I would definitely encourage others to listen to this album if they have not already.