She sings in the opening number about "Building a Mystery"; it would be something to hear her work up a good head of steam and just bust through to revelation.

But better the luxuriant, implied profundity of "Surfacing" than the sucker punch of Meredith Brooks' "Bitch," a fair treat as riff and melody go but overreliant -- to the point of irritation -- on the easy shock and loaded meaning of the title hook. With "Blurring the Edges," Brooks has really made two records: the notice-me snap of "Bitch" and the limp Alanis Morissette-does-"Odelay" twists of every other song. Neither tack does her potential ­ the brass and bite of her singing, the articulate sass in her writing -- much favor. But she and I agree