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Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police

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Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police
Three color outlines of The Police alongside Hatfield's side view
Studio album by
Juliana Hatfield
ReleasedNovember 15, 2019 (2019-11-15)
Recorded2019
StudioQ Division Studios, Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
GenreAlternative rock
Length43:09
LanguageEnglish
LabelAmerican Laundromat
ProducerJuliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield chronology
Weird
(2019) 		Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police
(2019) 		Blood
(2021)

Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police is a covers album by American alternative rock artist Juliana Hatfield, covering British rock band The Police. The album has been positively received by critics. It is the second of three such albums by Hatfield, following 2018's Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John and 2023's Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO.

Recording and release

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Released in 2019, the collection follows 2018's Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John and was originally begun as a Phil Collins covers album.[1] The Police had been a childhood favorite of Hatfield's and she chose to balance the group's biggest hits with more obscure songs.[2] Hatfield announced the album on August 1, 2019, and previewed the album with her recording of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da".[3] "Next to You" was released on September 25 to promote the album.[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Paste(7.6/10)[5]
Under the Radar(8/10)[6]
AllMusic[7]
PopMatters(8/10)[8]
American Songwriter[9]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from six critic scores.[10] A positive review from Paste's Andy Crump summed up the release as "an act of pop cultural interrogation for its own sake", praising it as a covers album that successful recontextualizes The Police's work as well as a good album on its own merit.[5] In Under the Radar, Frank Valish wrote that Hatfield "one of the rarest of artists who is able to both revere and transcend the original compositions" and gave the album eight out of 10.[6] The editorial staff of AllMusic Guide gave the album 4.5 out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the musical variety on the album and Hatfield's innovative take on the songs, calling the release, "fresh and alive, once again feeling like punk-inspired pop".[7]

Chris Ingalls of PopMatters also gave the album eight out of 10 and particularly called out the variety of musicianship, summing up, "As she has demonstrated with this album as well as the Olivia Newton-John project, she's a musician who is dedicated to paying tribute to the music of her youth and finding new and interesting ways to present it".[8] A muted review from American Songwriter's Hal Horowitz gave the release three out of five stars, writing, "This is a fun listen but also feels like a way for Hatfield to amuse herself, romping through a dozen interesting, far from essential interpretations of the Police's music in 45 minutes as she works on new material".[9] Pablo Gorondi of AP News praised Hatfield's ability to choose a balance of songs and perform them with variety, calling future covers projects "a most welcome prospect".[11]

Track listing

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All songs written by Sting, except where noted

  1. "Can't Stand Losing You" – 3:09
  2. "Canary in a Coalmine" – 2:49
  3. "Next to You" – 3:59
  4. "Hungry for You (J'aurais Toujours Faim De Toi)" – 3:14
  5. "Roxanne" – 3:45
  6. "Every Breath You Take" – 4:34
  7. "Hole in My Life" – 4:24
  8. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" – 4:15
  9. "Murder by Numbers" (Sting, Andy Summers) – 2:33
  10. "Landlord" (Stewart Copeland, Sting) – 3:21
  11. "Rehumanize Yourself" (Copeland, Sting) – 3:27
  12. "It's Alright for You" (Copeland, Sting) – 3:39

Personnel

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Additional personnel

  • Chris Anzalone – drums on "Hole in My Life", "Murder by Numbers", "Landlord", "Rehumanize Yourself", and "It's Alright" for You"
  • James Bridges – engineering, mixing, machine drum on "Roxanne"
  • Daykamp Creative, Nicole Anguish – design, illustration
  • Patrick DiCenso – mastering
  • Ed Valauskas – bass guitar on "Canary in a Coalmine", "Hole in My Life", "Landlord", "Rehumanize Yourself", and "It's Alright for You"

References

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  1. ^ Sullivan, James (November 21, 2019). "For Her New Album of Covers, Juliana Hatfield Summons The Police". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Graff, Gary (September 25, 2019). "Juliana Hatfield Covers an Underappreciated Classic from The Police". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Roberts, Christopher (August 1, 2019). "Juliana Hatfield Announces The Police Covers Album, Shares "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" Cover". Under the Radar. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  4. ^ DeVille, Chris (September 25, 2019). "Juliana Hatfield – "Next to You" (The Police Cover)". Stereogum. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Crump, Andy (November 14, 2019). "Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police Plays the Hits". Paste. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Valish, Frank (November 18, 2019). "Juliana Hatfield: Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police (American Laundromat)". Under the Radar. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police – Juliana Hatfield". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Ingalls, Chris (November 12, 2019). "With a New Covers Project, Juliana Hatfield Sets Her Sights on The Police". PopMatters. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (November 13, 2019). "Juliana Hatfield Provides a Fun 45-minutes with Julia Hatfield Sings the Police". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police by Juliana Hatfield Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Gorondi, Pablo (November 12, 2019). "Deep Cuts Rule Juliana Hatfield's Police Covers Album". AP News. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
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