* KATY ROSE

“Because I Can” [] (four stars) V2 Records

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On her debut CD, “Because I Can,” 16-year-old Katy Rose tells a story of rebellion, apathy and love on a record marked with terrific rock chops and blunt honesty.

That honesty recalls Jimmy Dean’s emotional overload in “Rebel Without a Cause” – but the difference is Miss Rose has reconciled her rage with articulate, passionate songs.

This girl is fluent in wrath.

The gem of the record is “Overdrive,” where she sets out to explain the after-dark L.A. she knows all too well: “They all come here to find a scene, but end up girls on methedrine, naked on a TV screen.”

As the crunchy electric guitar sets the pace, Rose continues in her earthy Stevie Nicks-ish middle range, “My mind’s all screwed and upside down, but my heart’s on overdrive.”

Those who bellyache about the dearth of good new rock ‘n’ roll need look no farther than Katy Rose’s “Because I Can.”