A Constant Visual Feast

There’s nothing I like more than truth in advertising, so naturally I really appreciate Juliana Hatfield’s new album, Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police. It’s in the title. Here is Juliana Hatfield. Here are some songs by The Police. Here is Juliana Hatfield playing those songs by The Police. Nothing more, nothing less.

That last part is bullshit. Yes, Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police gives you what it says it’s going to give you, but there’s a compelling loop of examination driving the album forward; Hatfield gives these tracks new appraisal by giving the a new sound, but the performance of each lets her do a bit of self-reflection, too. These songs do, after all, rank among her influences, so what does each rendition of each cover say about her?

I won’t tell you because that’s all the fun of the album. In the meantime, you can read my full review for Paste Magazine.