23rd Street Lullaby

Patti Scialfa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 15, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00020SHHQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,282 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. 23rd Street Lullaby

2. You Can't Go Back

3. Rose

4. City Boys

5. Love (Stand Up)

6. Yesterday's Child

7. Stumbling to Bethlehem

8. Each Other's Medicine

9. Romeo

10. State of Grace

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. 23rd Street Lullaby [Live]

2. Spanish Dancer [Live]

3. As Long As You Can Be [Live]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can go back - and Patti does it well, September 16, 2004

By 

Zach Everson (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 23rd Street Lullaby (Audio CD)

A lot has happened to Patti Scialfa in the 11 years since her debut album - she's had a few kids and gone on two largely successful tours with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The world has changed a lot too.

When I first heard Scialfa was coming out with a new album, I was expecting songs that would be about motherhood or current events. I wasn't looking forward to it, because, as a 28-year-old male, I didn't think I'd be able to related to such materaial. But, then, I made the same mistake so many other people have - my expectations were based on her husband's work, where he covered family life on Human Touch and Lucky Town and the outward looking The Ghost of Tom Joad and, more significantly, The Rising.

Instead, Scialfa pulled a George Lucas and gave us the prequel. She takes a look back at the New York City of her younger years - when she was about my age. I'm not sure if I can agree with the hackneyed "It was worth the wait" - 11 years is a long time. Nevertheless, it is a great album and one that I've listened to almost daily since it first came out several months ago.

There are no duds on this album; every song is enjoyable. "You Can't Go Back" is an ironic choice, as going back is exactly what she's going on this album. Not only does "Rose" have a catch beat, but it's near impossible not to have a good mental image of the title character after listening to this song a few times. The softer "Romeo" is one of my other favorites.

The three live tracks on the bonus disc are of a similar high quality. "Spanish Dancer" stands out amongst the others, just as it did on Rumble Doll.

Also - if you can see her in concert, do so!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good work from Patti, June 15, 2004

By 

William Merrill "eclecticist" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 23rd Street Lullaby (Audio CD)

It seems like several of the best CDs I've heard lately are from people named Patti or Patty -- as in Griffin, Smith and now Scialfa. I think if you asked Ms. Scialfa who her influences are, she would mention her husband foremost among them, as Patti's 2nd album bears some of the same everyday grace and strength as Bruce's. And while her musical style is distinct and all her own (especially the unique vocals), there are frequent echoes of The Boss in her songwriting. To see what I mean, listen to the song "Stumbling to Bethlehem" and imagine Bruce singing it. It'd be a smooth fit.

Patti's new CD isn't making quite as big an impression on me as her solo debut Rumble Doll did, but these new songs (a decade later) have a grown on me after a couple of times through the disc. Nearly every song is a winner. (One exception for me was the Dylan-esque "Each Other's Medicine." It's just too ordinary a tune for my liking.) Otherwise you have such strong tracks as the subtly powerful "Romeo" and the grown-up glories of "Love (Stand Up)."

The backing musicians and production crew for 23rd Street Lullaby are a top-notch bunch that includes Nils Lofgren, Marc Ribot, Will Lee, and many other respected studio veterans. Plus of course Bruce Springsteen joins in, although he didn't play quite as prominent a role this time as on Patti's debut. (This time he only played on 3 songs.)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Album, July 9, 2005

By 

Kelsey - See all my reviews

This review is from: 23rd Street Lullaby (Audio CD)

An album that takes me on a journey and encourages me to contemplate the twists, turns, the ups and downs, and all the different sacred moments that make up an ordinary life. With this album, Patti Scialfa opens up her soul. A reflection on her younger days when she lived in NYC's Chelsea district, each song tells a different story about that period. The album as a whole is a wonderful look at how a PLACE can have such an effect on a person. As Patti sings about the Hudson river, we realize it was just as much a friend to her as Rose, the wise old waitress that taught her how to balance change and serve coffee. As a songwriter, Patti is fantastic. I can listen to this album all the way through without skipping a song. My particular favorites are "State of Grace" and "Stumbling to Bethlehem"--two songs about the search for fulfillment and truth. Patti's voice is raw, emotional, full of wisdom, and wonderfully unique-- a welcome change from the processed and overproduced voices that much of the music industry is marketing today. I love this album, and I'm glad that Patti has utilized her talents instead of just singing back-up for her husband. She is her own woman and her own talent, and that is very evident on 23rd street lullaby.