There’s bitter with her sweet

She’s just 18 years old, but Toronto singer Fefe Dobson is already jaded. Abandoned by her father as a child and, more recently, let down by various boyfriends, she’s got a major attitude problem that would be pretty annoying if it weren’t channeled into the catchy power-pop concoction she dishes out on her self-titled debut, released last month on Island Records.

Proving she isn’t one to take a slight sitting down, Dobson delivers a one-two punch on her new record -- luring listeners with deceptively sweet vocals that tend to mutate into sneering tirades. Songs that begin as frilly ballads inevitably end as metal-edged kiss-offs. And those seemingly light pop ditties? Give them a minute. The anvil of guitar will drop, eventually, laying the foundation for Dobson’s powerful and versatile pipes.

“She has a fire in her voice, and the way she presents things you can’t explain or teach to anyone,” said Jay Levine, who not only produced Dobson’s record but co-wrote the music and lyrics. “She has so much to say regarding her life. Although everything was a collaboration writing-wise, the stories are Fefe’s. The events and the pain on the record come from her life.”

The source of that pain? Men. Exploring teen angst with a tough-girl twist, the subject matter on Dobson’s album is pretty standard adolescent fare. The singer, who’s had “one serious relationship” and a handful of “tooty-batooty boyfriends,” tends to focus on the ups and down of romance.

She kicks off the record with a punky “Stupid Little Love Song” about not being good enough for her boyfriend, following it with a grungy breakup tune. Further in, she tackles physical desire in the Herbie Hancock sendup “Rock It Till You Drop It,” addressing the sexual consequences a couple songs later in the rock ‘n’ rap “Give It Up.”

But Dobson is at her best on tracks like “Unforgiven,” a direct and angry anthem to her father that is heavy with emotional baggage. “I hope you’re somewhere out there listening to this song,” she chides. “I hope you’re thinking what you did was wrong.”

Dobson’s father “came in and out of my life as a child and promised me the world and left me a crumb,” said Dobson, who hasn’t spoken with her father in five years. “I had to talk about it somehow.”

Music was a natural outlet. Born and reared in Toronto, Dobson is a natural, not formally trained, musician. She grew up in a household tuned to the usual intergenerational swirl of Top 40 radio.

When Dobson was 11, her mother bought her a karaoke machine, and it wasn’t long before the budding diva was singing along to Mariah Carey recordings. The youngster eventually assembled a 24-song demo tape of Madonna, Selena and Janet Jackson songs, which she sent to record labels.

“I didn’t see myself as an 11-year-old child. I saw myself as an adult almost. I just saw nothing else but stars and glory and fame and fortune and all that stuff. I just wanted it so bad. I tasted it,” she said.

While Dobson could see her future clearly, it took some time before any labels saw things the same way. “I have letters from 50 different record companies saying, ‘No. Not interested. Unsolicited material,’ ” she said.

When Dobson was 15, a Canadian label finally took notice and signed her. But things didn’t go as Dobson had planned. Label execs supplied a rotating cast of producers for her to work with, but none of them knew how to direct the teen’s raw and wide-ranging talents. Then Levine came in, creating a connection that was “just really magic,” according to Dobson. She broke contract with the Canadians and signed to Island with Levine.

“He just really let me be free. He found something in me that he really thought was special and he gave his all,” said Dobson. “It was just fate.”

*

Fefe Dobson

Where: Bear Mountain Ski Resort, 43101 Goldmine Drive, Big Bear

When: Saturday, 3 p.m.

Cost: Free

Contact: (909) 585-2519 or www.fefedobson.com