Alternative Press Review Of Bed
November 1998, p. 105 by Marc Hawthorne Former Blake Babies leader's third solo LP fails to meet lofty expectations Though Juliana Hatfield's fourth LP isn't as eagerly anticipated as, say, the new recordings by fellow spotlight feminists Hole and Liz Phair, there are certain circles that have been waiting impatiently to hear the follow-up to 1995's Only Everything. After ditching an entire album last year (tentatively titled God's Foot) and ending her relationship with mammoth/Atlantic, Hatfield has returned with Bed, a 10-track recording that contains enough bright spots to keep the listener on board for the entire 40-minute ride. But overall, Bed simply does not carry the weight created by the three-plus years that have elapsed since Hatfield's last full-length was released. Like last year's Please Do Not Disturb EP, Bed suffers from a devotion to spontaneity that translates into what seems like Hatfield's lack of editing skills. Several of the sweet, gritty pop tunes here do thrive in this raw environment (particularly the suicide fantasy "Swan Song" and the can't-get-out-of-your-heard sing-along "Bad Day"), but too often Hatfield's edgy, flexed-out rockers just aren't interesting enough to be rushed to tape. The former Blake Babies leader's bread an dbutter has always been her honey-dipped vocals, so it's no surprise that the more subdued, melodic songs on Bed are the standouts. But after a while you get the feeling that Hatfield is using her voice as a crutch, and the truth of the matter is that she doesn't begin evolving musically, in the future there are going to be fewer expectations for her to live up to.