I discovered this beautifull pop opus a full 14 years after it's release. Now, I understand she was busy being Mrs. The Boss and all that but...OMG!!!! Where was her publicity department? Why had I not heard of it before? This has become one of my favorite albums of all time.

In it she painstakeingly and poetically laments and then rejoices over her successful extramarital affair with her now husband of 15-plus years. It is a cathartic, exuberant declaration of her love, mixed with her obvious feelings of guilt, and ultimate triumph over a situation that is rarely publicized for turning out in a positive manner. Now these type of personal confessions when put to music, can risk being maudlin and sentimental in less capable hands. But Scialfa executes each song with tremendous wit, energy, heart and great musical saavy.

Her two subsequent albums certainly have their merits, but had she only had this one in her, it would have been more than enough..it is a torchy, fun, pop masterpiece.

This was the first CD of Patti's that I heard and I was so impressed that I bought 23rd Street Lullaby and Play It As It Lays as well. Both are very good, but aren't quite as outstanding as Rumble Doll. Every song is perfect.

No amount of mastering and effects can overcome the fact that this woman can't sing. Furthermore these songs try hard to be street smart but miss the sincereity mark. Sort of like the getto movies of the 70s that just aren't realistics.

No hooks, no vocals heavy vocal effects....how she ever got signed is beyond me.

I bought 23rd Street Lullaby the very same day that I purchased U2's How to Dismantle an Automic Bomb at the end of 2004. I show it on display in the store and remembered a comment by Emmylou Harris about why she approached Patti for a collaboration in her Red Dirt Girl album: namely she said how much she loved Patti's Rumble Doll (and how it passed unnoticed to the mainstream). So I bought 23rd Street Lullaby and fell completely in love with it.

Recently I decided to buy her first (and much praised by Emmylou) album through Amazon. And I don't regret it. To be honest I was not much excited after a first listen. Surely there are some songs that stand out and are catchy enough in a single listen (As Long As I (Can Be With You), Lucky Girl and even Rumble Doll). However it took me more sittings to get to appreciate other precious songs like Valerie, Spanish Dancer or Talk to Me. Jeff Lynn's production shows clearly: especially Lucky Girl reminded me a lot of his production work in Tom Petty's Into the Great Wide Open.

Yet from a purely musical perspective (english is not my mother tongue and I still haven't had the chance to listen to and read carefully the lyrics), I think I like 23rd Street Lullaby most. So I'd recommend her second album if you are thinking about buying a first record by Patti.

Bought this yesterday and must have listened to it 30 times.
Most albums you have to listen to a few times before you get the tunes in your head this one is instant,each song is good in my opinion the only downside there is only 12 I want more of the same, have ordered 23rd street lullaby hope I won't be disappointed.