Customer Reviews

How to Walk Away

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"How To Walk Away" was an album that I actually wanted to dislike immensely-- Juliana Hatfield, a personal favorite of mine, was recording an album with producer Andy Chase (of the band Ivy). In interviews, Chase had what I quite honestly took quite a derisive tone with Hatfield's music, referring to it as stuck in the past and how he was dragging her into the modern world. This combined with what I heard from the album really quite solidified my opinion-- Hatfield's guitar was no longer at the fore of her music, it was like Chase was trying to turn her into, well, Ivy. So I spun the disc, first few listens solidified my opinion. But then, something clicked.

Turns out, "How To Walk Away" is a pretty good record.

Hatfield, always someone capable of draping emotion right in front of a microphone, has an album where her vocal delivery is pretty much at the fore. The press makes a big buzz about this being a breakup record, an assertion I'd support, and Hatfield sings plaintively not so much of broken romance or loss, but rather of melancholy and disappointment, pieces like opener "The Fact Remains" and "My Baby..." aren't angry or resentful or disappointed, they're honest and painful. Throughout, Hatfield's vocal supported by driving acoustic guitars, bouncing synthesizers and burbling lead guitars. Truthfully, it sounds less like a "modern" production and more like something out the '70s (and quite reminds me of Aimee Mann's The Forgotten Arm in that regard).

But of all the things I could say about it, the best compliment I could offer is that the record stirred up memories for me, it reminded me of myself, and if Hatfield can pull off that level of personal connection, that's really quite something. It also doesn't hurt that there's a couple cuts I could play over and over again-- I mean, the quiet subtlety of "Such a Beautiful Girl" with its just staggering harmonies on the chorus just floored me. And slicing through the low key vibe and melancholy of the album straight in the middle, "Just Lust" is wrapped in swagger and attitude with and angular guitar line that could have come off a mid-80s Cult album and an emotionless delivery from Hatfield that'll knock you over.

Having said all this, the album does suffer from almost a sameness of production-- "The Fact Remains" kicks you in the face with its subtlety awash in acoustic guitar and subtle synthesizers, but the next piece, "Shining On", pretty much tries to do the same thing, albeit with an emphasis on strings. It's not that there's a band song there, but the impact of the latter is lessened by the former. Nonetheless, this is a great album-- it's not quite alongside the best of Hatfield's work, but it's awfully good. Highly recommended.

Juliana Hatfield's latest album 'How to Walk Away' mostly deals with bad occurances, but without brash lyrics and pissed-off overtones. It's like, when you're closer to middle age and something happens that, when you were younger, would have caused a burst of outloud anger and obvious resentment. Instead, you just chalk it down to 'whatever' and/or 'I don't have time for this' and simply walk away. The simplest of things is all that's really required. To me, her music in this album portrays that maturity. Of course it's Juliana Hatfield, so the writing is top-notch and some songs radio perfect.

Highly recommended

With 'How To Walk Away', Juliana Hatfield has undoubtedly found her voice and sound, and this is easily the best work of her 20 year career. Haunting, melancholic, startlingly honest but at times beautiful, this is an album of pure, polished music which could also be deemed as an anguished plea for understanding.

Hatfield has been virtually ignored as an artist for far too long in my opinion, and I sincerely hope this album puts her on the map. It's uplifting, beautiful and just so accomplished.

If this is your introduction to Juliana, then you are in for a treat.

Catchy pop music with the production values of a movie soundtrack. I bought the mp3 version and liked it so much that I'm going back and buying the CD so I can hear it like it was intended to be. Juliana makes good use of her voice, better than on her earlier work that I've heard. The mostly-bleak confessional lyrics are a striking contrast with the lush instrumentation and sound and voice effects. There are moments of pop transcendence on this CD that give me that shivery feeling.

When I bought this, I really wanted to hear some more of the great guitar work I've come to know and love from Juliana. While it's mostly absent on this album, the great hooks, the honest lyrics, the vocals that relay emotion and great musical composition are still here. Juliana said she wanted to do something different, and she did, quite well. Much like the Frank Smith project last year, it doesn't matter what environment you place her in, it's still Juliana. One of my favorite tracks is "This Lonely Love", Juliana shows her song writing skills by taking one of her own songs, sampling it and changing it so much it's completely new. Buy this, you won't be dissapointed.

More in the vein of her melodic pop CDs like "Beautiful Creature" and "In Exile Deo" rather than her hard edged, guitar heavy "Total System Failure" and "Made In China"... This is a great CD... that gets better with every listen... Heartbreaking, beautiful, pissed, weary, sad, hopeful... "How To Walk Away" really works as a complete experience, played one song right after the other, start to finish... a haunting portrait of a real life, love life trying to stay sweet in a sour world.

This CD highlights post/punk alternative 20-year rocker Juliana Hatfield reaching 40-something and tackling still more of her demons. There is pain, loss and melancholy, but Hatfield's tone is assured, with a sense of wisdom and presence. This release consists mostly of what I call Lite Alt tunes - veering away from Nirvana-ish territory, more toward Liz Phair or (non-sellout) Sheryl Crow. The production is professional, without going too far toward a "radio" sound - this is perhaps Hatfield's most accessible album yet - one of the most appealing aspects of her music is the paradox of her aggressive brand of post-punk/alternative music with her sweet, girlish voice/harmonies. She remains an icon of original, indie alternative female songwriters, and this release further punctuates her position as a songwriter who has retained her credibility and integrity. GENRES: Lite Alt, Rock, Mellow Rock.

BUY IF YOU LIKE: Jill Sobule, Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair.
MUST HEAR TRACKS: "The Fact Remains," "Shining On," "Just Lust," "This Lonely Love."

Kudos to producer Andy Chase for embracing JH's voice and bringing it up front in the mix. Chase: "My agenda was to do something much more refined, something groovy and evocative, and bring out what I thought was a beautiful textured voice, which had been buried in a rock guitar pastiche or because Juliana wouldn't sing out."

Mission accomplished.

Quite simply, a masterpiece.
Every now and then something comes along that grabs you right away. This album is one such example. Great songs, probing lyrics, inspired performances, terrific arrangements (e.g. ace background vocals and harmonies), and astonishing production by Andy Chase with none of the artifice that hampers a lot of music in the digital era.
In a recent radio interview, Juliana spoke of the album's theme as being a reflection on dealing with the highs and lows, the vagaries, of relationships. The title is indicative of this.
I never thought she could top 2000's "Beautiful Creature", but "How To Walk Away" ranks along side it as a definitive piece of art in her distinctive canon of work that goes back to 1987.

'How to Walk Away' is a great cd- Juliana Hatfield never ceases to amaze me when it comes to writing songs that have some kind of unique hook and/or a twist with the lyrics or the rhythm that set it apart from the works of other well known or less well known writers-- and she has done it so consistently over the span of 20 yrs in so many different formats-
I wish her the best success and hope that she finally gets the critical & commercial recognition that she deserves----but the fact that she is still something of an underground act just makes her that much more cool-pure integrity