In Exile Deo

Juliana Hatfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zoe Records
• ASIN: B0001XAPP6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,896 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Damn good, October 18, 2004

By 

T. Lalley (washington, d.c.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Exile Deo (Audio CD)

This is a very strong release. Musically, it's interesting and enjoyable as always but nothing terribly new compared to her previous stuff. But the lyrics are more bitingly honest than anything she's done before. It's the same tales of woe, laced with a bit of hope, but this time it really hits the mark.

I still like her old stuff but she's grown up and this release, more than any other, shows that. This constant change is interesting enough for her music to have held my attention for the past 15+ years. It's nice that this release doesn't break that trend.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much to love...., June 1, 2004

By 

Keith Kanen (The Edge of Nowhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Exile Deo (Audio CD)

As one who has always loved Juliana's music and knows all her albums well, one caveat before I add to In Exile Deo's well-deserved kudos. If you have heard little or none of her work, I would first recommend one or more of her earlier CD's for some perspective, all filled with wonderfully diverse alterna-pop-rock songs showcasing her somewhat quirky, engaging style, youthful intensity and angst. Excluding In Exile Deo for the moment, which I would put somewhere near the top, here's how I would rate her albums first to last, though these are close calls... Only Everything('95), Beautiful Creature/Total System Failure(simultaneous 2000 release), Become What You Are('93) and the 6 song EP Please Do Not Disturb('97) will all make you a fan for sure. Bed ('98), while IMO less memorable overall, does has a few superb cuts. I would also highly recommend 2001's God Bless The Blake Babies -- her warmly relaxed/cool renunion CD with her old bandmates.

That said, there is so much to love about In Exile Deo! I don't see how an earlier reviewer could possibly diss the first two songs. The opening cut is a terrific kick-ass rocker where -- sick and tired of no (lasting) love & affection in her life -- she is determined to simply have fun playing with anyone who comes along that strikes her fancy. Coming from someone who has often lamented her shyness, it's fun to hear her loosen up and blow away that impression, though I don't think we have to worry too much about our socially shy heroine becoming a total hedonist. The song's title/main refrain is Get In Line (..I'm giving myself away. :-) ..it's hard, fast, propulsive and catchy with killer guitar work from Juliana!

The next song offers up further proof she is the most underated guitarist on the planet. Jamie's in Town (about needing to avoid this guy at any cost) is also catchy, but quite different with a kind of eerie, swinging, loping bass line and acoustic rhythm guitar delightfully adorned with at least 3 different kinds of electric guitar which drop in 'n out like so much chocolate, honey and spice. Very Cool Song.

I will make brief too much more I would like to mention. As with all her albums, a few muscially ordinary ditties here 'n there, but most are inspired, beautiful, cool creations, always with that wonderfully unique, emotionally honest voice. Heart always on her sleeve, especially in the lovely, tender, wistful ballads. And hints she is learning to let go of her pain and be happy more often in the breezy, infectious song Sunshine. :-)

Catch her on tour now while you can... Check out this great SXSW Live Concert Review: "Juliana Hatfield's set was dominated by lots of impressive new material, most of which she said will appear on her forthcoming album In Exile Deo. Hatfield's guitar-playing prowess has to be seen to be appreciated. While no great technician, she's developed an unmistakable style that simultaneously draws on the throaty riffs of The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, the rhythmic jangle of The Velvet Underground's Sterling Morrison and the controlled feedback/distortion of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. It's a tasty and effective combination. And Juliana's current backing band seems to be more in touch with her quirky style than any group she's been a member of since the Blake Babies."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A really strong album from Juliana, September 21, 2004

By 

Xavier - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Exile Deo (Audio CD)

I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. (5 is reserved for monumental works like "Who's Next".) But I really, really like this record. This is the most expansive, accessible work she's done since "Only Everything." Her recent outings with Some Girls show here in the melodic, upbeat nature of a lot of these songs. But where Some Girls' "Feel It" felt kind of restrained and subdued, "In Exile Deo" stretches its legs more. It rocks harder in places, with songs like "Get In Line"; gets intimate, with "Tomorrow Never Comes"; and even includes the most fun song Juliana's ever recorded, "Sunshine". This song, hey, the whole record is great for cruising down the highway on a summer day. There's only one throwaway song, "Dirty Dog", which sounds like a B-side from an old INXS album.