With just three full albums under her belt (‘Rumble Doll’ 1993, ‘23rd Street Lullaby’ 2004, ‘Play It As it Lays’ 2007), and perhaps fated to be best known as Mrs Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa has a small body of work to her name. It is, however, pretty near flawless, and as Americana as they come – which given her backing group has variously included members of the E Street band or Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, is hardly surprising. Guitars jangle and ring, harmonies are stacked and rich, organs fill the sound and then Scialfa’s own voice, so full of hope and yearning and strength, it’s undoubtedly an enticing package. With the promise of a new album coming, it’s well overdue that she is given a bit more of the spotlight for herself.
Number 10: ‘Love (Stand Up)’
A centrepiece in her immaculate second album ‘23rd Street Lullaby’, ‘Love (Stand Up)’ opens with a strident major chord intro, heralding a smooth and laid-back vocal from Scialfa. The song builds and builds towards a falsetto-led chorus that is as infectious as a wall-of-sound 60’s favourite – which in turn breaks into a pleading bridge: “Give me hope and give me strength and give me your soul understanding”
Stacked gospel voices only add to the sum total of a song that soars into the sky. The video here features a rare live showing for Scialfa, demonstrating she has the chops to front a band of supreme tightness and power (and a few familiar faces, for E Street band aficionados).
Number 9: ‘Looking For Elvis’
Opening track on her third album, bluesy slide guitar slowly unfolds and remains a subtle influence through an effortlessly cool rhythm, as Scialfa started to expand her horizons to a suitably widescreen lyric: “Warm black asphalt, south of nowhere I’m going there under a dirty cotton sky”
There are echoes of Lucinda Williams in the feel and substance in the sultry Southern gothic feel, and that’s only ever going to be a good thing.
Number 8: ‘Young In The City’
Delicate piano notes and angelic vocal motifs provide ‘Young In The City’ with a very distinctive sound, ethereal and slightly haunting. A fragile yet robust ballad, which captures the nostalgia and romance of remembered youth: “I always thought we’d have forever, now these forevers go by too soon … Don’t the world look pretty when you’re young in the city”
Yes, it is a romanticised view of youth, but most of us are guilty of that, and in this track, Scialfa captures a fairly universal evocation.
Number 7: ‘Rumble Doll’
Title track and opener to her first record, the song is kicked into life via softly thrumming power chords, and possibly a hint of sly and sensual autobiography. As the opening track on her debut album, ‘Rumble Doll’ sets a musical and lyrical template for much of Scialfa’s first two albums; a rich, warm sound, both retro and modern, a catchy melodic tune that is easy to hum along with after just one listen, and a reflection of some of the challenges of being a woman in a complex world: “So measure my intentions against my sins, and if you think my name should be called, I’ll be on the outside looking in – I’m just a rumble doll”
Number 6: ‘You Can’t Go Back’
Even by Scialfa’s usual standards, this song channels the most classic of classic American rock. Chiming guitars, vocal harmonies everywhere, and a melody that sounds like the Cars and Boston somehow got mixed in with the Ronettes and the Shangri La’s. From the quiet but insistent rhythm of the intro, a spoken-word verse sets the scene of a woman questioning the choice that brought her to this point: “Now I’m looking for a piece of my past, on these streets I once knew, but…you can’t go back”
As her journey progresses, so the music supporting her builds to a final crescendo. Uplifting and joyous, it’s simply irresistible.
Number 5: ‘Black Ladder’
Possibly the most stripped-down song in Scialfa’s canon, this warm lullaby closes out Scialfa’s third album. Simple electric piano chords are augmented by some beautiful acoustic guitar notes, almost Spanish in style. Lyrically, ‘Black Ladder’ contains a slight inversion of the ‘Stand By Your Man’ sentiment, in that it acknowledges a need for mutual support and understanding: “I’ve been down your black ladder, I’ve been down your dark stairs, Tell me that our love still matters, tell me that you care”
In the final chorus, however, it becomes: “You’ve been down my black ladder, you’ve been down my dark stairs, I’ll tell you now that you matter, tell you that I still care”
This track could so easily soundtrack a telling emotional moment in a movie, as reflective and redemptive as they come.
Number 4: ’23rd Street Lullaby’
Title track and opener for her second album, this set the template for what is probably her most consistent record. Built around a laid-back rhythmic groove that fluctuates back and forth, and a sense that her songwriting had developed to build more intricate storytelling, the music is lusher than ever. Every instrument seems to have a hook of its own, all entwining each other as the song gradually builds to a typical Scialfa climax. It also demonstrates a possibly overlooked facet of Scialfa’s, given that her day job is backing singer in the E Street Band – that she possesses a voice with rare vocal reach, power and sensitivity.
Number 3: ‘Rose’
‘Rose’ may be Scialfa’s finest moment in terms of New York City storytelling; pin-sharp pencil sketches of the people just trying to survive in the grind of the city, help each other out, and maybe have a little fun when the chance comes. It appears to have come from real-life experience – there’s a great video hidden on YouTube of her performing it in 1980, with a spoken word intro explaining its genesis. While the main subject of the story is Rose, helping the young and naive Scialfa to find her way, there is some nifty lyrical colouring and a bit of New York humour down by some of the side plots – not least involving the happy guy who washes dishes and speaks no English: “I said, ‘Rose, he must be one of God’s children’, She just laughs and says ‘Yeah, God’s got him doing dishes all night in the back’”
It’s a warm-hearted but wry look at the little people of the world, and something she obviously shared with her husband in his early pomp.
Number 2: ‘Play It As It Lays’
The easiest of grooves laid down, half-spoken vocals, a regretful yet hopeful sentiment, this may be the ultimate refinement of Scialfa’s music. This time, the broad stroke, widescreen chords that have served her so well in creating her own musical identity are reined back in, to sublime effect. This music has a space to breathe. A mature lyric that knows that people mess up, but the art to living is getting up and trying again: “Years go by, you add them up, Some days are holy, some days are rough, but that’s all right”
Oh, and a hook-laden gift of a tune, too. Sometimes, less is more. This could almost have cropped up on Sheryl Crowe’s ‘Tuesday Night Music Club’ debut – it’s that good. Surely the best song to feature a golf metaphor, too?
Number 1: ‘Spanish Dancer’
Shimmering guitars, perfect melody, and a vocal performance that is electric in its understatement. Covered by Emmylou Harris with Rodney Crowell, still Scialfa’s is the go to version. These are some of her finest lyrics, more free form and distinctive than she sometimes allows herself to be. A sensual image of a Spanish dancer provides a leaping off point for spine-tingling, dream-like visions of the very dance of life: “There’s this Spanish dancer whose steps I follow when he comes near, The red dress of temptation over a long black slip of fear, Will I fall beneath the shadow of some broken cross, My arms emptied and all my treasures lost”
Immaculate.
H’mmm, I loved Rumble Doll but thought Scialfa’s follow-up albums were both pretty meagre fare. My top 10 would basically be the track listing from Rumble Doll with a couple of omissions!
Surely there’s some acts that should be ahead of this! A minor talent.
“Come Tomorrow” should have made your list.