Beautiful Creature

Juliana Hatfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 16, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zoe Records
• ASIN: B00004T9RW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,997 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She finally struck gold, May 17, 2000

By 

Andy Ashmore (Greer, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beautiful Creature (Audio CD)

Maybe changing record labels was the best thing Juliana Hatfield could have done for herself. Hatfield's first Zoe release is breath taking, presenting more than several songs that leave you wondering, "Now why hasn't someone else written this before?"

This is not a typical Hatfield record, leaving out most of her signature electric guitar riffs, and substituting for an acoustic strum. Not to fear, this album has more power behind it than any of the other records. But not to fear, where she has replaced the feriocious guitars, she has by far made up in crafting her songs.

Juliana has always been a superior songwriter, setting herself apart from the Lilith wrung outs, by simply not fitting a mold, and bending where most don't bend. On "Beautiful Creature", she found where she did fit, contacted a real estate agent, and set up camp. On the second track, she sings of the typical bad dreams, but a third dimension to the emmotion of the song, when you just know that you have been in her shoes before.

Unlike her girl power acoustic strumming cohorts, Hatfield finishes her songs with common sense lyrics which are easy to understand, rather than the "see spot run" rhymes and poetry of say, Jewel, that leave the listener pretending to understand what she is trying to get across.

Hatfield never been an official member of that group anyways, giving her true rock crediblilty. The album does take a glimpse of that trait on songs such as "Cool Rock Boy", a techno beated, true rock song (as the title so cleverly hints at).

If you are reading this... this is the album you have been waiting for. If you are a newcomer to Juliana's music, this is a good place to start also. And even if you just stumbled across this by accident, it's probably for you too.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple elegance, July 19, 2000

By 

S. Johnston (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beautiful Creature (Audio CD)

I love Juliana Hatfield's music and have every one of her albums (including all the Blake Babies stuff). The dual release of Beautiful Creature and Total System Failure seems to be an exploration of her split musical persona, the "quiet" vs "grunge". I bought both discs and currently find myself playing Beautiful Creature more. Juliana's more introspective little-girl-lost voice on "Hey Babe" originally hooked me to her stuff, and there seems to be a similar simple elegance on this disc, songs like Close Your Eyes and Slow Motion coo and hush the ears into a sweet trance. But musically I don't hear much that isn't straight out of pop music's standard box of chord progressions; not meaning to sound hypercritical, but I know from past releases that Juliana has tons more talent tucked away. Not too many of Juliana's usually clever angular corners are turned (they're all reserved for Total System Failure where they are drowned in distortion), not as many jangling suspended chords in the trademark Juliana fashion, and (with the exception of "Until Tomorrow") all the songs on Beautiful Creature amble along to fairly uncomplicated beats in 4-4. Some of Juliana's angst-ish edge may have evaporated with these quieter reflections, but it still makes for great listening, it's simply Juliana in a different light, quieter, simpler. Still, here's hoping the next Juliana release is more like "Bed", mashing her two personas back into the one entity - angular punchy songs that are smoothed out by her sweet voice while not being drowned out by (too much) grunge.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Songs, May 26, 2001

By 

Angel Diva (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beautiful Creature (Audio CD)

The first time I ever heard this woman was on a movie and I waited until the credits and went to find the song on Napster. I found it and then I found some other stuff of hers. The song I first heard was "Might be in Love" and I LOVED it! Then I fell in love with "Somebody is Waiting For Me" and "Everybody Loves Me But You" and soon I began craving more so I downloaded all her songs, and I am HOOKED! But I must say I was suprised after listening to some of her harder music because of how mellow and easy these songs are on this CD. But I love this one. She is truly gifted. Every song is a masterpiece and I wish she would get more credit. She should be on the radio instead of all those dumb teeny bopper songstresses. Keep up the good work, Juliana.