In spite of the fact that Juliana Hatfield has broken through to rock stardom several times over—had wildly successful tours behind celebrated albums, videos played in regular rotation on every available music television network and been offered a multitude of other accolades—it’s a safe assumption that there are still people reading this review and wondering, “Juliana who?” It’s lamentable, but it’d be hard to say that Hatfield has gotten a fair shake; she helped make the best Lemonheads record that band ever released, The Blake Babies never got legs under them in spite of staggering critical adulation and she did solo albums that sold well and got her spots on a host of high profile tours but, in the truest terms, the singer-songwriter hasn’t received one iota of the respect she so dearly deserves. To make a tired point, in the twenty-two years that she has spent as a major label musician, Juliana Hatfield has released music on at leat nine labels and, while some have had her back to release a few, the releases for any particular label have almost never been sequential.
That has to be frustrating—how could it not be? It also would explain the tenor of her new album.
As the title suggests, How To Walk Away is a very hands-off record which is characterized by Hatfield’s discovery that the only person you can count on when the chips are down is yourself. Released on her own boutique label, How To Walk Away features a similar writing style to what Hatfield has always done—sweet, mournful melodies coupled alongside delicate washes of vintage, underground guitar – but this time with a sense of dry-eyed detachment; it’s apparent that the singer has a strong desire to siply give herself over to songs including “The Fact Remains,” “This Lonely Love,” “Just Lust” and “So Alone” and let what’s in her to give out but, having been bitten so often before, she holds back and makes her audience come to her. It does work on those listening though, as the album progresses, listeners find themselves following her as Hatfield ducks and weaves from them; refusing to let them get too great a look at her interior workings here, and the game of cat and mouse makes for an engaging listen.
For the first time in a while, the singer keeps an even tone throughout these proceedings too; at no point does she turn up the volume and hammer listeners with the sort of arena-sized rockers that anyone familiar with Hatfield knows she’s capable of writing and instead sticks close to more reflective fare supported by minimalist backing and watery, chorus-soaked guitars – an incredible contrast against the singer’s uncharacteristically dry-eyed vocal turns here.
Anyone familiar with Hatfield’s music can tell you that this album is a huge step out for the singer. It’s actually rather eerie to hear how aloof she remains through the proceedings but, really, it’s an interesting change. Juliana Hatfield tried coming to listeners and giving them all of her, but like the sweet girl she often sings about, she was easily forgotten by her fans that said they’d never go away. It hurt. How To Walk Away is Juliana Hatfield’s way of turning the sentiment around: this album is a great listen, but you have to come to it and listeners have to give in to her this time.
How To Walk Away will be released on Ye Olde Records on August 19, 2008
For more information, go to http://www.julianahatfield.com http://www.myspace.com/julianahatfield
