In 2003, Brooke revamped 1995's song "War" as a protest against the Gulf War. In 2004, she released "Back in the Circus" with new material plus song covers from songs by The Alan Parsons Project, The Beach Boys, and James Taylor. The album was also released in the United Kingdom in 2005 and combined tracks with several "Steady Pull" songs. "Rolling Stone" described it as "stocked with lovingly detailed songs." In August 2006, she released a combination CD and DVD titled "Live in New York". In April 2007, Brooke released "Careful What You Wish For" via Rykodisc distribution. "The vibe of the album," she wrote in notes for reporters, was "all about busting out, being on the edge, playing with great abandon to see what we could come up with."