PhillyBurbs / The Montclair Times: Jonatha Brooke believes in getting in touch her masculine side — at least that’s the case with her new CD, “Careful What You Wish For.”

“There’s some irreverence on it,” Brooke says. “There’s a very different persona that I explore. There’s this side – a cocky, rocky, almost-like-a-boy personality.”

Brooke, who brings her show to Outpost in the Burbs on Nov. 9, had some help finding the rugged side within. Along with the talent of legendary rock producer Bob Clearmountain (Bryan Adams; INXS), the album features contributions from Nick Lachey (98 Degrees) and J. C. Chasez (*NSYNC), as well as four tunes co-written with Hooters frontman Eric Bazilian.

“I think people got some bug up their nose about the fact that Nick Lachey and J.C. Chasez are mentioned in the credits. I think the second that they saw those names there, some people just lashed out at me and called me a sell-out and that’s crazy. Like it or not, I had a blast working with those guys, so just back off and listen to the record. It’s really fun,” says Brooke.

She couldn’t have been more surprised herself, however, when she got that call from Jive Records A&R rep Teresa LaBarbera Whites asking if she would write some songs for Lachey and Chasez.

“I just thought, “Why not? This could be really fun. It doesn’t cost anything, she’ll pay my expenses and I might get some great songs out of this,’ ” says the multi-instrumentalist, who plays acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, piano, mellotron, Wurlitzer organ and percussion on “Careful What You Wish For.”

“What worked in the case of Nick, it was so easy to sort of feel what might be going on for him. It was really a tough time for him. He was going through all this tabloid crap and supposedly breaking up with Jessica (Simpson). So Eric and I met him and came into the sessions with really big pieces of the songs. We were trying to write from what it was like being in his shoes right then and it was powerful.”

Lachey ended up covering one of her older songs, “Because I Told You So,” for his solo debut “What’s Left of Me,” while Brooke saved “Keep the River on Your Right,” a song Lachey helped pen, for her own album.

Chasez contributed lyrically to the disc’s first two tracks, including the title cut, to which he also lends his vocals.

“That guy sings circles around the room. He is insanely talented. I’ve never worked with anyone like that before,” says Brooke. “He could do anything. He’s such a fearless singer.”

Though the album straddles the line between lustrous pop melodies and sardonic rock, Brooke remains, as always, a storyteller and keen observer. As the title might suggest, “Careful What You Wish For” turns a wry eye to the clichd world of celebrity, where fame and beauty often mask deep insecurities and heartache.