Juliana Hatfield – Please Do Not Disturb – Review

Juliana Hatfield

Please Do Not Disturb (Bar/None)
by Katy Shea

Did anyone ever see the episode of My So Called Life where Juliana Hatfield guested as the eerie guitar strumming apparition of a dead runaway sent to guide Angela Chase through her ever present adolescent angst? I knowingly discard any notion of appearing cool just to make that reference, but as I listen to this CD, I am struck with the image of Ms. Hatfield, dressed in rags, playing for the ears of one lonely teenage girl. This theme has always seemed pretty congruous with Hatfield’s often over-analytical, insecure, self deprecating, lonesome lyrics, and I hope that lonely teenage girl is still listening, because for the rest of us there is only so far we can go on this trip of simultaneous self pity, ego indulgence and rock posturing.

This six song EP from former Blake Baby and Evan Dando confidante is a pleasant, although not too terribly radical, departure from the “Spin the Bottle” type of alterna-pop Ms. Hatfield has graced us with in the recent past, but only the first track “Sellout” really resonates with the catchy pop beat and simple guitar work that best support her lyrics and girlish vocal style. As she branches out into harder edged tunes (in the same vein as Only Anything) or even the softer desperate variety pop it becomes less believable, more tedious and ultimately serves as a reminder that a large part of talent is understanding what you do well, doing it and not getting bogged down in the quagmire of all the things that are not within that realm.

Juliana Hatfield is still an intriguing figure in the pop genre, Hey Babe established her as a talent with a knack for mixing emotional sincerity with levity and powerful pop melodies. For now, I’m waiting for her to develop her true voice, devoid of the awkward and ill-fitting influences that seem to riddle her recent records, and let the music flow with more connection and credibility.