music.wikisort.org - Composition

Deconstruction is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks. It was released on September 28, 1999, by Capitol Records. Following the album's disappointing commercial reception, Brooks was dropped from the record label.

Deconstruction
Studio album by Meredith Brooks
Released	September 28, 1999 (1999-09-28)
Recorded	c. 1998–1999
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	50:14
Label	Capitol
Producer	David Darling Meredith Brooks Paul Fox
Meredith Brooks chronology
See It through My Eyes (1997) Deconstruction (1999) Bad Bad One (2002)
Singles from Deconstruction
"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" Released: August 24, 1999[1] "Shout" Released: Q1 2000[2]

Recording

Unlike her involvement with Meredith Brooks (1986) and Blurring the Edges (1997), Brooks sought to take more control over the compositions on Deconstruction. With the exception of "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", Brooks wrote or co-wrote and played lead guitar on every song on the album, in addition to co-producing the album with David Darling. Thematically, Brooks claims that the material on Deconstruction was a direct reaction to her experiences with the success of "Bitch". She explained: "The new album is about deconstructing everything, letting people know that I'm not just any one thing."[3]

Release and promotion

Deconstruction was released on September 28, 1999. Prior to the album's release, Brooks released rough mixes of several album tracks on her official website. Fans had the opportunity to vote for their favorite songs and discuss the then-upcoming album with Brooks on the site's message board.[4]

In an effort to promote the album, Brooks opened for the Eurythmics on their Peace Tour (1999).[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]

Tom Demalon of AllMusic referred to the album as "another pleasant if somewhat derivative helping of adult rock [from Brooks]." Demalon highlighted "Nobody's Home" and "I Said" as the standout tracks from the album.[6] Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly remarked that the album starts off strong with "Shout," before delving into "sound-alikes of Sheryl Crow, late-'90s Madonna, and (oh so annoyingly) Blondie's rap."[7]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Deconstruction was considered a commercial disappointment in comparison to Brooks' previous effort, Blurring the Edges. Deconstruction failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the album only sold approximately 20,000 units over two months after release.[9]

Track listing

Deconstruction – Standard edition[10]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Shout"	Brooks	3:54
2.	"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" (featuring Queen Latifah)	Melanie Safka Queen Latifah	4:37
3.	"I Have Everything"	Brooks	4:05
4.	"Cosmic Woo Woo"	Brooks Larry Dvoskin	3:36
5.	"Nobody's Home"	Brooks Shelly Peiken	5:12
6.	"All for Nothing"	Brooks Rick Nowels	4:43
7.	"I Said It"	Brooks Nowels	3:23
8.	"Back to Eden"	Brooks Nowels	3:52
9.	"Bored with Myself"	Brooks Peiken	3:45
10.	"Careful What You Wish For"	Brooks Peiken Adam Gorgoni	4:27
11.	"Sin City"	Brooks	4:37
12.	"Back to Nowhere"	Brooks	4:03
Total length:			50:14

Deconstruction – Japanese edition (bonus track)[11]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Little Slice"	Brooks Dvoskin	3:25
Total length:			53:39

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Deconstruction.[10]

Production

Instruments

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Deconstruction

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12]	42
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13]	95
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14]	30

Notes

---