Patti Rothberg
Hollywood may have its It Girls, but pop has its Grit Girls—women on the verge of a nervous breakdown who write concept albums about tortured love and subsequent redemption. Recently a new generation has emerged including, among others, Alanis Morissette, Poe, Courtney Love and, now, Patti Rothberg.
Predictably, this raspy singer (who was discovered busking in a New York City subway station, hence the album's title) spends most of her impressive debut excoriating insensitive and/or unfaithful boyfriends. Unlike her rowdy, often profane, peers, she writes hook-heavy melodies flavored with restrained R&B riffs that belie the lyrical fury in songs like "Treat, Me like Dirt," "Change Your Ways" and "Out of My Mind." Shrewdly mixing folk, ballads and power rock on this 13-song effort, Rothberg distinguishes herself from the screamers by showing her spunk without the punk. (EMI)
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