Review: Scialfa CD peopled with memorable folks

Published in the Asbury Park Press 6/15/04
By KELLY-JANE COTTER
Music Writer

Patti Scialfa's new solo CD, "23rd Street Lullaby," takes the listener back to the late 1970s and early '80s, when the singer-songwriter was living in Manhattan's Chelsea section, finding her voice as a performer and as an adult.

But this is not some strummy, sentimental ode to youth.

Scialfa, who made her solo debut with "Rumble Doll" in 1993, has followed up with a collection of songs that is both sunny and reflective. "23rd Street Lullaby" has a sparkly feel, as if the narrator of each song is aware of time's fleeting nature and is therefore taking extra steps to remember and enjoy every moment of the present.

Scialfa, who grew up in Deal and Ocean Township and still lives in Monmouth County, is married to Bruce Springsteen and is a guitarist and back-up singer for his E Street Band. But there is very little sign of Broooce on this album, beyond a few photos in the liner notes and, possibly, in the mention of a charismatic boyfriend in the song "Rose," which includes the lines "I traveled once with this rock 'n' roll band, And my baby was a hero at every small town bar, And I watched that summer of '88 pass through the rear view mirror of his rented car."

Therefore, those fans hoping for a sequel to "Rumble Doll," which was widely interpreted as an examination of Bruce and Patti's courtship, might be disappointed. There is, however, "Love (Stand Up)," an impassioned tribute to a stand-up guy who, let's face it, is probably Bruce.

Nevertheless, in most of the songs, listeners meet new characters -- Rose, the middle-aged waitress ("Rose"); free-spirited Auntie Mabel ("City Boys"), and ghostly Anna ("Yesterday's Child"), among others.

Rose is the one who will really cling to your memory. Scialfa does a fine job conjuring up her former co-worker, who is told, "You're pushing 50, but you sure look all right."

Rose teaches the younger waitresses what's what: "Keep your eye on the work clock, keep a dollar in the jukebox, And there's a bottle of whiskey behind the coffee machine."

This is a hard-working woman, slightly worn from experience, but the better for it, too. Rose is not a character to be pitied -- she is a pink-collar heroine, someone who works hard, but saves room for joy.

Concert-goers might remember both "Rose" and "Love (Stand Up)" from Springsteen and the E Street Band's December 2000 show at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, where Scialfa performed the new material on her own.

The songs sound even better fleshed out on the album. Scialfa's team includes drummer/co-producer Steve Jordan, vocalist/fellow E Streeter Soozie Tyrell, guitarist/fellow E Streeter Nils Lofgren, keyboardist Clifford Carter, guitarist Marc Ribot and cellist Jane Scarpantoni.

Scialfa mixes wistfulness with humor in "You Can't Go Back," which finds the narrator returning to the city neighborhood of her young adulthood: "Do they wonder where we've gone, Do they think of us at all, Will they recognize us now in these perfect clothes and gowns, Do they wonder what we're doing here on this side of town."

Maybe it's true that you can't go back, but if Scialfa were to take her guitar back to 23rd Street, she'd likely find a ready audience for this material.

"23rd Street Lullaby," released on Columbia Records, hits stores today.