Juliana Hatfield - Only Everything

The queen of Boston alt rock drop-kicks the "cute" out of her image with a hard-edged production that adds polish and bottom-end weight to a sound that has always been in danger of drowning in its own quirkiness. The big surprise is Hatfield's own guitar playing, which launches highlights like "Dumb Fun" and "Outsider" into orbit and turns positively lethal on "Fleur de Lys." First single "Universal Heartbeat" mixes her lightweight but moving vocals with a thumping chorus. --Jeff Bateman