The
Forever Baby EP assembles the three strongest songs from
Juliana Hatfield's first and finest LP,
Hey Babe, along with her cuddlecore cover of the
Dinosaur Jr. classic "Raisans" -- not quite a Cliffs Notes distillation of the singer's catalog, but close. The jangly "Forever Baby" is like the anti-"You're So Vain," its tale of unrequited love so transparent that everyone knows who it's about, and yeah, "Everybody Loves Me But You" is probably about
Evan Dando, too -- but don't forget this is the same woman who wrote the convincingly poignant "My Sister" but doesn't even have a sister. (Even Saran Wrap has its wrinkles, after all.) Both the original "Nirvana" and "Raisans" crank up the volume, a context that doesn't really complement
Hatfield's thin, girlish voice, but her obvious admiration for both
Kurt Cobain and
J Mascis nevertheless rings true. The exclusive track "Tamara" completes the set. ~ Jason Ankeny