Rating: NNN
Since 90s casualty Evan Dando’s comeback has been solidified with MC5 vocal duties, it seems appropriate for ex-girlfriend Juliana Hatfield, the patron saint of Manic Panicked indie girls everywhere, to reappear with her most fully realized disc in years. In Exile Deo is sorta Juliana Sings The Blues, with a healthy dose of raunchy bar rock guitars and echoing Fender Rhodes balanced by sugary-sweet ballads that ache with newfound maturity. It’s midway between the wispy girl-pop of Hey Babe and the off-kilter distortion of Become What You Are. Hatfield sometimes veers too far into MOR territory, becoming a Sheryl Crow wannabe singing into her hairbrush, but Forever is the best quit-smoking anthem ever, and you can totally picture Jordan Catalano and Angela Chase making out in the boiler room to the haunting organ and filtered vocals of album closer My Enemy.
