So, uh... Some Girls - Feel It, eh? I should hope so.
Written: Apr 28 '04 (Updated Apr 28 '04)
Product Rating:
Pros: Light, catchy lyrics and another CD for the girl nation.
Cons: As if it wasn't difficult enough to keep track of Juliana Hatfield's work.
The Bottom Line: Fans of Juliana Hatfield won't be disappointed one bit. Most songs, separately, work and that's how the album was crafted. Together, though, it's a bit sloppy.
rader6795's Full Review: Feel It by Some Girls (Indie Rock)
Juliana Hatfield's body of work, in her eighteen years of recording, is not an easy body to follow.
From her early years as frontwoman for Boston-based Blake Babies, she moved onto a solo career with "Hey, Babe." Her next project, for which she garnered the most attention and commercial success (due, in part, to the Reality Bites soundtrack), was under the Juliana Hatfield Three. For whatever reason, she moved back to recording as a solo artist. Then, after a year-long sabbatical, she released an impressive and purposefully ugly grunge album under the name Juliana's Pony titled, appropriately, Total System Failure. While she declared it as a counterpiece to Beautiful Creature, the album simultaneously released under her given name, some saw it as an antithesis to her complete body of work. Nary a love song is to be found on the album.
A year later, Hatfield would release God Bless the Blake Babies, after reuniting with the band for a tour. She followed that up with a compilation album celebrating ten years of her solo act.
As previously stated, Juliana Hatfield is not an easy artist to follow. So, it came as no surprise when I read her next project was under yet another name.
Some Girls, the band she formed with former Blake Babies drummer, Freda Love (Smith), after the 2001 reunion tour while Heidi Gluck of The Pieces pulls bass duties, is the newest pet project for Hatfield. Whether or not this is a tribute (or rib) to the Rolling Stones album of the same name is up for debate.
The title gets right under way with the title track in "Feel It" and sounds like your typical Hatfield song. Nearly indistinguishable from any track you'd find on "Beautiful Creature," it's your typical feel good song with less than feel good lyrics.
However, "The Prettiest Girl" seems to take these girls down the path of Total System Failure. Hatfield's ability to sing ugly, biting lyrics with her soft, childish voice never ceases to amaze me. It's the musical equivalent of smiling when you tell your best friend you slept with his sister.
"Necesito," the track available for download on http://www.some-girls.com/, is a catchy tune with the cutesy "Necesito loud music" chorus to make it memorable. However, her disregard of critics ("Critics with their death threats... don't even get me down.") stands out the most.
"Almost True" comes off like a love song, but seems more like a woman spurned. Hatfield's sly delivery makes this all the more enjoyable. It does, however, get bonus points in my book for using harmonica.
"Robot City" comes off as fairly standard fare and, by name, seems like it should be coming from a Flaming Lips album. Had the band had more depth, it may have even passed as the girl's version like a Harvest Moon game. However, it's just not that strong overall.
"Launch Pad" is the most distinct song on the album. From the incredibly catchy tune to the simple rhythmic lyric delivery itself, "Launch Pad" stands tall.
The album doesn't let up with "You Don't Know." The lyrics, unlike a majority of the album to this point, seem to be inspired by love more than anything else. So, here's your prerequisite long song for all the Hatfield fans. It's a shame that "You Don't Know" seems almost out of place on the album as a feel good song.
However, when played separate from the album, it works so well that I'd place it easily among her top ten original songs. It's not "Make It Home," but not many songs will ever reach that plateau.
The album shifts focus once more with what appears a surfer tune at the start of "Just Like the First Time." Thankfully, it shifts back to standard fare and saves the surfer tone for the chorus. Otherwise, its just another verse, chorus, verse effort that comes off as a safe song that could've been so much more.
"On My Back" is another song that shifts the sound. While I'm glad the album doesn't come off Blink-182-ish, the album's shifted themes more than a season of Curb Your Enthusiasm thus far. A little bit seventies, a little bit country but a pretty keen song overall.
The last original track, "The Getaway," sounds like it'd fit perfectly with God Bless the Blake Babies and gets bonus points for the percussion (I believe it's muted clapping, though I couldn't tell you what lap steel sounds like to save my life.). Had it used a xylophone (which would have actually fit in my mind), it'd get top honors on the album.
Closing the album is a cover of Robert Johnson's "Malted Milk." To end the album with a blues cover seems strange, but the song plays so well that I can't complain. While the album takes one final, jarring shift, it's a welcomed one. Some Girls take this classic blues song and make it their own, much like Eric Clapton before them. A fitting end to an enjoyable album.
Also worth noting is that Some Girls didn't try to pawn this off to the public as a single. My brother and I often discuss music and are in agreeance that showcasing a cover as a single is a sign of desperation when a band has run out of steam. I often refer to this as the "Faith rule" when discussing the moment Limp Bizkit began to suck.
Is my (kind of creepy) obsession with Juliana Hatfield worth the constant trouble of tracking her down?
For once, I'm not sure. Fans of Juliana Hatfield are diehard and, frankly, already own the album. While there's many strong tracks, the album lacks cohesion. For that reason, I can't suggest this to the common listener. If I were a critic, it'd get three stars for that reason. But, dammit all, I'm a fan and this albums pulls that fourth one down from the sky.
Should these three women get together again, it'd be great to see what comes of it. Much of this album was compiled, according to the Some Girls Web Site, through the mail and may be the reason for its lack of focus. However, with Juliana Hatfield's next solo project, In Exile Deo, being released on May 18th, I have a hard time believing that this is more than just another one-night stand with Some Girls.
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