Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police

By: Troy Kowalchuk

Juliana Hatfield has returned with a second cover album of her biggest influences. Last year Hatfield created a record or Olivia Newton-John outlining her biggest hits. Now, she follows up with a second record; this time covering pop-rock band The Police. In Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police the singer-songwriter takes her own spin on their biggest hits, lesser known singles and a few hidden gems. In it she creates an album that modernizes many of these classics, but often restrains herself through the production and need to imitate.

The first single of the project, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” is a bright, carefree single that accomplishes everything that is expected of a cover album. She brings a new arrangement, sings the lyrics with modern complexity and presents a different side to the song. She utilizes her bold vocals and heavy guitar to the originally softer sounding song and provides a variety of nuance to the classic. Hatfield’s vocals and production shine and as her first single of the record it shows Hatfield’s strongest assets in a cover album. According to Hatfield, “Whenever I make an album of my own songs, at the end I feel so depleted. I feel like I’ve said everything I have to say and will never write another song. But I don’t want to stop making music. That’s when I go and start looking at other people’s stuff… so I can keep working. Recording covers is like a working vacation. It’s fun, and it also informs my own stuff afterwards.”

Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police brightens with “Can’t Stand Losing You” and is another instance at Hatfield at her best. Through this rendition and choice to keep the original lyrics sung from a female’s perspective, Hatfield offers a whole new meaning. Her vocals shine once again, this time being audacious. If anything, “Can’t Stand Losing You” feels more honest than the original as she possesses a variety of mood in her delivery, creating an emotionally powerful rendition.

Hatfield beams on this album when she offers her own flavor to the tracks. There are numerous instances where she does this. “Next To You” shifts the songs to a more breezy and laid back style. It feels groovier and Hatfield knows what to do with the production in order to make her voice shine. The 12-song album was produced by Juliana Hatfield who performed all vocals, guitars, and keyboards and some of the drums and bass with additional contributions from Chris Anzalone (Roomful of Blues) and Ed Valauskas (the Gravel Pit), respectively.

“Roxanne” is a sinister sounding down-tempo rendition that is ultimately haunting. She ruminates on each word, paying homage to Sting’s iconic lyrics. Providing her interpretation while again keeping each lyric true to the original offers an emotional depth and captivating rendition of the original.

However, what makes Hatfield succeeds is also what makes her fall short. “Canary in A Coalmine” feels like a direct copy of the original. While there are subtle changes to the production, ultimately it feels too similar. Even her vocals seem too literal and lacks the energy than the songs that surround the record.

“Hungry For You” also falters. While a much lesser known single, it feels unpolished and disjointed. Despite the choices and changes in production are the most radical, offering a completely new style and arrangement, her vocals and French lack the skillfulness the new production has placed beneath her. Outside this, choosing this lesser-known record shows Hatfield’s level of appreciation she has for the group, makes the album more diverse and shows her admiration.

Unfortunately, The Police’s most successful song to date, “Every Breath You Take,” is the weakest track from Hatfield. The iconic immediately-recognizable intro that is both eerie and nostalgic is diluted into stagnant guitar chords and distorted, clunky production. This is the most confusing part of the record as Hatfield has previously shown her ability to be both haunting and create darker stunning arrangements. If there was any track for Hatfield to shine strongest it would be “Every Breath You Take.” There are so many directions she could have gone and it was the single that many would look to first, but the arrangement feels repetitive, monotonous and the up-beat spin completely diminishes the band’s iconic track.

Despite this, Hatfield’s cover album contains a variety of gems and interpretations that should be praised. Where she experiments, she shines and where she tries to create copies, she stumbles. Yet what can’t be overlooked is Hatfield’s love for this band. Her appreciation is clearly demonstrated and the majority of the album contains original renditions that make listening worth it to any Juliana Hatfield or The Police fan.

Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police is for any fan who is looking a new, modernized approach to classic songs. It accomplishes its ability to be both nostalgic and fresh and shows Hatfield’s talents as a musician and producer. Despite its imperfections there are a number of hidden gems that make the whole project worth it.