Customer Reviews

Between the 1 & The 9

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When Patti Rothberg released her debut album in April, 1996, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill was taking the world by storm, and Patti was (too) easily thrown in the bag of "young angry women". 7 years later, "Between the 1 and the 9" stands as a great album.

The comparison to Alanis is not a good one, musically speaking. Rothberg is more in the vein of Beth Orthon, or Tracy Chapman for that matter: more up-tempo accoustically driven (with the occasional electric guitar work-out), with less "shouting" than Alanis, but still speaking her mind about relationships and life experiences. A chick-CD, so to speak (and I don't mean that negatively) The album's best tracks include "Inside" (the first single), "Treat Me Like Dirt" (which in the 1996 heydays of alterna-radio also gathered radio-play), and "Remembering Tonight".

Patti Rothberg pretty much disappeared from sight after this album, among other factors due to label problems. She finally issued a follow-up album in 2002 (which I have not heard, not too many others ahve, I suspect). However, "Between the 1 and 9" is a great album, period.

In a year where the charts were dominated by Alanis & Sheryl and radio was littered with imitative debris, Patti Rothberg released one of my favorite albums. Ever.

Having first heard (and loved) Between The 1 and the 9 before knowing anything about music it's hard for me to accurately describe what's so heart-rendingly amazing about it -- and believe me, I've tried. The production is great. Patti's vocal contrast between crystalline highs and raspy lows is terrific. She plays every guitar quite well. Lyrics are honed to sharp-witted points. Arrangements are fleshed out to perfection. I don't know what else to say... it's just good.

The hoarse delivery of the dissatisfied lead single "Inside" is the only recognizable song on the album, but the twangy double-tracked acoustic guitars and rambly stream-of-conciousness delivery of "Treat Me Like Dirt" are a better representation. Standouts include bluesy "Forgive Me" & "Out Of My Mind" (both draw subtle thoughts of Bonnie Raitt), the merry folk-rock of "Remembering Tonight," and the plainative closing ballad "It's Alright." However, singling out tracks on this disc is futile... I have something good to say about every one.

It is not uncommon to find Between the 1 and the 9 in a bargain bin or a used CD store... the only explanation I can conjure is that too many nominal fans of the female singer-songwriter movement bought it and then got bored. The next time you see it, buy it; if you actually enjoy good songs by female guitarists I suspect you won't be disappointed. And, if you don't like it I'll buy it from you for $2 ;)

"so, what's one of your favorite albums?"
"Well, i really enjoy Patti rothberg's debut."
"Who?"
No one knows who Patti rothberg is. Even i didn't know until a little while ago. But this agressive Young angry poet that has an acoustic edge is actually quite a good songwriter, and very original. From rock, to blues, to a little punk, to heartfelt songs, and edgy acoustic rock, this is a very worthwile album. And i'd recommend it to more people. In fact i'm trying to by writing this review. Of course it's not perfect. In my opinion, though, all the songs are good, even if they're not great. The whole thing is listenable.

Why you ask? It was released in 1996 and the single "roll" debued on alternative rock stations. I proceeded to go out and search for this CD the minute I heard that single. I consider this her first effort, to be somewhere inbetween Pattin Griffin's "Flaming Red" and Liz Phair's "White Choclate Space Egg". After that single died out I never heard from Patti again unless I played my copy of "Between the 1 and the 9". I waited 6 years for word of another effort by Ms. Rothberg. Finally, Candelabra Cadabra came out in 2002. I bought it without reservation and was dissapointed. There's so much grit on "Between the 1 and the 9" and it's great for when you're of mind to tell everyone you know to bugger off. Her latest release was just, well how do I put this... bizarre. Which is why you should try her 1996 release on for size; good rockin' music with an attitude, timeless.

and I'm sure you'll love it, too.

This is the debut album from rocker/singer/songwriter Patti Rothberg and every song on it is a keeper - from the big hit single "Inside" (which she played live on Letterman and Leno when the album first released) to classics like "This One's Mine" (an infectious rocker that I must have played 100 times in a row when I first got this CD), "Treat Me Like Dirt" (we've all been there) and "Perfect Stranger" (perhaps my favorite Patti Rothberg tune of all - a song that really shows off her expert writing of lyrics). I'd also like to point out that all of the guitar and bass you're hearing on this record is being played by Patti herself.

I've heard Patti Rothberg compared to Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, and others, and while there may be some influences from those artists, I'm not sure I'd want to make such comparisons, as Patti's great melodies, expert word play, and combination of sensibility with hard rock attitude, make her a unique artist. Maybe the best description I've heard of her music is from Patti herself, who calls it "neo-classic rock" and I think that aptly describes her mix of what's new and hip with her classic rock influences.

Patti's gone on to create lots more great music since this outstanding debut - so if you enjoy "Between the 1 and the 9" there's much more Patti Rothberg in store for you, including a brand new album just now releasing called "Overnight Sensation". So I highly recommend picking up a copy of this record and getting started...

BookMark

This album wears well and is hard to find. If you like acoustic "chick" music with a little mad thrown in, this is for you. Think Liz Phair with a little Sarah McLachlan thrown in. Quite a pity that she hasn't gotten more exposure. This is an album you can listen to all the way through, not just for a few choice singles.

I grew up in Germany and found the album digging through my sisters CDs. It became my bible, my religion. I listened to it every day and would write out parts of her lyrics and hang them all over my house.
I still listen to it today, 5 years later, on a regular basis. I will never get tired of this album. Timeless beauty in every way, music, guitar, lyrics. This is a must have.

I bought this album after catching "Inside" on the radio once in the spring of '96. It IMMEDIATELY went to permanent rotation. I still love to pull it out and listen, even though my musical tastes are so different now. Too many of my early-mid 90s cds are worthless to me now, and this cd has maintained its status in my collection for 6 turbulent years.

For the record, it's easy for a girl and a guitar to win me over enough for me to buy her album. BUT in order for said album to gain my true adoration it must have the perfect combination of pretty/catchy melodies and edgy/angry/bitter/hopeful lyrics. It's a tough genre to master and only a few have.

Patti's songs are not miracles of songwriting and her voice is a little ragged, but she get's the point across. You believe her when she sings of being treated like dirt and you believe her when she grovels in "Forgive Me." She's not a perfect human being and she doesn't try to be. She just makes her cute songs and hopes a few people will listen.

Unfortunately this album never gained the respect or over-the-top radio play that Alanis's Jagged Little Pill got a year earlier. Maybe that's a good thing, since I can't listen to Jagged Little Pill anymore thanks to the radio.

This album is simply awesome. Very heartfelt and REAL lyrics about a myriad of emotions concerning relationships and how complicated they can be. Patti is the smarter, hipper more urban Sheryl Crow that you always suspected was out there somewhere!

Given the lack of truly thought-provoking music around today, I hope we don't have to wait much longer for more from Patti.

Patti Rothberg's "Between the 1 and the 9" is another of the many brilliant artistic efforts shunned by the narrow-mindedness of modern commercial radio. The songs, though sometimes lyrically simple, paint a vivid and remarkably honest portrait of the wide ranges of human emotion. Rothberg explores a wide range of vocal stylings as well, from the vengeful scowl of "This One's Mine" to the heartbroken pleading of "Forgive Me." Her backup band is absolutely amazing, comfortably shifting between Rothberg's perceptively beautiful ballads and punk/blues rockers. "Between the 1 and the 9" is good, solid rock & roll, which will in no way disappoint the listener weary of the stubborn blandness of modern "rock." Pick it up to see what else you've been missing...