By: Faetra Petillo
Rating: 9/11

Julia Haltigan grew up in New York City, though it hardly comes across in her music. Her and her band “The Hooligans” (which includes her own father) have such an authentic down-south old country sound to them, one would swear she was straight out of Nashville rather than the Bowery. On her debut album When The Glow Starts to Go (2007 – self-released), Haltigan evokes every emotion a good country blues album should evoke.

Her sultry and smooth voice on tracks such as “Honey” conjures up images of steamy summer nights, a broken heart and a whisky on the rocks. The great thing about When the Glow Starts to Go is getting to witness Haltigan transform from the reincarnation of Billie Holiday to June Carter with the change of a single track. This album could easily come off as scattered, but Julia Haltigan and the Hooligans turn it into something wonderfully diverse. Haltigan’s jazzy vocals act as the common thread, seamlessly transitioning between the full six-piece band to a simple acoustic guitar standing as her backup. While she certainly ventures closer to classical than contemporary, there is a certain edge to the album (heard most prominently in the song “Bobby Pins & Barbie Dolls”) that clearly displays an indie rock influence. Overall, the album is a perfect mix between a strong dose of old-fashioned honky-tonk country and classic jazz with just the right dash of punk. And the sound is only made better by the depth of her lyrics. Haltigan’s youth and bouncy energy can be a bit deceiving; she is no doe-eyed little girl attempting to sing about things she doesn’t know. She sings about love (or lack thereof) with such heartfelt conviction it’s obvious it comes from a place of truth, and just might put When the Glow Starts to Go on the essential breakup albums list. And for the people listening that are happily in love…she just might change your mind.