If you're an Olivia Newton-John fan, then you'll want to take a listen to the impressive new ONJ cover album by indie musician and singer-songwriter Juliana Hatfield. You might be most familiar with her material from the mid-90's (singles "Spin the Bottle" and "My Sister" with the Juliana Hatfield Three), or her recent "Pussycat" album. But you might not have realized how much she adores ONJ. In fact, in the liner notes from Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John, she writes: "I have never not loved Olivia Newton-John ... She has inspired me so much personally and I just wanted to give something back; to share some of these tremendous songs, reinterpreted, with love, by me."
Released by American Laundromat Records in a variety of formats (digital, various colors of vinyl, cassette), with eye-catching design and illustration by Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative, this is one impressive cover album that showcases Juliana's own take on ONJ's music. The range of tracks covered is broad, touching upon the various 'phases' and genres in which Olivia sang. We've got ONJ covers from the 1970's ("Please Mr. Please", "Have You Never Been Mellow", "I Honestly Love You", "Don't Stop Believin'", "A Little More Love", Totally Hot"), 1980's ONJ power hits ("Physical", "Dancin' Round and Round", "Make a Move on Me"), along with a bit of Grease ("Hopelessly Devoted to You") and Xanadu ("Suspended in Time", "Magic", "Xanadu").
What's so impressive to me about these covers is that the musical re-interpretations are so spot on! There was clearly a lot of effort put into the arrangements and production of this album in order to achieve such a level of musical similarity to the originals. And, of course, there's Juliana's awesome vocal performance and delivery of these songs that really draws parallels to aspects of Olivia's original songs. Don't just take it from me - the album even got a recent nod from Olivia Newton-John herself on Twitter - how awesome is that!
For anyone who purchases the album, one dollar from every album sale is donated to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness Centre (ONJ Centre), a nonprofit organization providing patients with cancer access to leading medical treatment, breakthrough research, and the best in wellness and supportive care.
JULIANA HATFIELD "A LITTLE MORE LOVE" (Official Music Video)
For more information about Juliana Hatfield and this incredible cover album, check out her official website, the American Laundromat Records website, follow Juliana on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and find her music on Bandcamp, Spotify and iTunes.