Bad Bad One is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks. It was released on May 21, 2002, by Gold Circle Records. Following the commercial disappointment of her previous album, Deconstruction (1999), Brooks was dropped from Capitol Records. Brooks subsequently signed to Gold Circle Records and built a home studio to record and produce the album herself, with additional production from frequent collaborator David Darling. Bad Bad One received little commercial recognition, with Gold Circle Records folding shortly after the album's release. Despite this minimal commercial recognition, the album received praise from music critics. In 2004, the album was reissued under the title Shine by Kissing Booth Records. The reissue had a rearranged track listing and included an additional remix of "Shine," which was featured as the theme song for Dr. Phil from 2004 to 2008.

Recording

Brooks recorded over 50 songs for the album over the course of two years before she finalized a track listing of 12 songs. With Bad Bad One, Brooks sought to take more control over her music, resulting in her building a home studio and learning Pro Tools so that she could freely engineer and produce the entire album herself. Speaking on the freedom that this home studio allowed her, Brooks commented: "Musically, lyrically, vocally, and guitar-wise, I realized that for the first time I could do everything I wanted to do. If I didn't like my vocal, I could just go down at 2 a.m. and redo it. It allowed me to develop more." Brooks described Bad Bad One as a complete fulfillment of her creative vision, claiming that she was not under the usual pressure to be "politically, spiritually or romantically correct."

Release

The release of Bad Bad One was met with several delays. The album had two set release dates—April 23 and then May 5 —before finally being released on May 21, 2002. Gold Circle Records folded almost immediately after the album's release, resulting in it receiving very minimal promotion. In 2004, Dr. Phil selected "Shine" to be the theme song for his eponymous talk show. This renewed interest in the song resulted in a reissue of Bad Bad One on September 21, 2004, by Savoy Records. The reissue was titled Shine and featured a rearranged track listing and an additional remix of "Shine" used during Dr. Phil.

Critical reception

MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic praised the versatile and carefree nature of the album. She commented: "Meredith Brooks captured the moment and claimed victory on Bad Bad One. She found an inspiration -- it's fiery and passionate while also literate and cathartic -- and ran with it." Michael Paoletta of Billboard referred to the effort as a "welcome return that shows the kids a thing or two." Paoletta highlighted "Shine," "You Don't Know Me," and "Where Lovers Meet" as standouts from the album.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Bad Bad One.

Charts

Singles