AMG Review of Forever Baby

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

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.