"I just wanted to do something simple," says indie veteran Juliana Hatfield of her stripped and intimate album Peace and Love. Unlike her last album, the fine, fully-produced How To Walk Away (2008), Hatfield decided to take things into her own hands -- literally -- with a DIY, self-produced collection of starkly rendered songs where she played every instrument and decided every aspect of the recording process.  "I was able to follow every instinct, " she observes, "without worrying that anyone was going to think it was a kooky idea."

The "up close and personal" nature of Peace and Love goes to the heart and soul of Hatfield's songs as well, many of which find the singer/songwriter ruminating on relationships broken and, in their painful wake, taking the pulse of her own life. "Evan" finds Hatfield looking at a lengthy but frayed and neglected friendship and the powerful bonds that still remain. "Let's Go Home" finds her coming to the realization that superficial disagreements often mask deeper problems. The appeal of the album's self therapy is simple and direct, an engaging, thoughtful collection of songs that have a maturity and strength reflective of Hatfield's own life. From an artist, you can't ask for more than that.

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Juliana Hatfield - "Let's Go Home" (from the album Peace and Love)

Juliana Hatfield - "Evan" (from the album Peace and Love)