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.
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.