Juliana Hatfield How to Walk Away (Ye Olde Records) When Juliana Hatfield went solo in the 1990s there was always a softness to her music that seemed at odds with her surroundings. She was, at the time, part of the 'grunge lite' crowd that included her one-time partner Evan Dando, a gang that played up on rumours of rampant drug-taking and rampant affairs. Not our Juliana, however: she claimed she was a virgin until the age of 25 - and really was in it for the music. The problem was, as good as her early output was, it often passed by without making much of an impact. And that's what makes How to Walk Away such a joy - there's a harder edge to Hatfield these days and when she wants to make her point, it sticks. This is a breakup album that leaves little doubt abut how Hatfield has changed over the years. She now gives as good as she gets on the likes of Just Lust, which sees her equal parts man-hater and man-eater. There's a beefed-up sound too and although she certainly still sounds sweet - mostly, anyway - she's not afraid of throwing in a few snarls for good measure too. And so Hatfield lets her emotions flow - one minute she's crying in the street (on the superb This Lonely Love), the next she is trying to hold on to someone she knows is gone (My Baby ...). But you're never left drowning in her self-obsession as she's able to see the hope that's out there too. 'I live and breathe,' she croons as the album comes to a close, 'always hungry for that heat.' How to Walk Away is as real as they come, and Hatfield's finest work yet.
