Blame it on Eve. Ever since Stefani hooked up with the female rapper on 2001’s surprise hit ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, the No Doubt singer’s endearingly kooky SoCal ska punk persona has been replaced by a ghetto grinding, bling wielding diva with a preference for style over substance.
Her first solo album, 2004’s quadruple platinum selling Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was the absolute embodiment of this, a shallow, fashion obsessed work geared towards the club scene that put the guilty in pleasure and couldn’t have been any further from her pre Rock Steady day job.
Having given birth to her first child in May, the 37 year old sexy mama returns with her second solo effort, The Sweet Escape, which sees her collaborating with the likes of the Neptunes, Akon, Nellee Hooper, and No Doubt bassist and ex squeeze Tony Kanal.
“This album is surprisingly different than the last one,” says the Grammy winning singer songwriter. “I started recording it last year before Kingston was born and it’s definitely evolved over the last year. The dance sound is very ‘now.’ It’s modern... not so retro.”
They say:
The Guardian: “Pharrell Williams’ production and Stefani’s fizzy personality make for an unexpected Christmas treat.”
Slant: “It’s starting to feel like No Doubt’s future – you know, the one left in question after 2001’s Rock Steady, the band’s third consecutive creative zenith – is being squandered amidst all the solo stargazing.”
In the News: “Never afraid to try something new and create something completely fresh, Gwen succeeds in staying cutting edge.”
We say:
Regardless of what Stefani thinks, The Sweet Escape has a very similar vibe to its predecessor, straddling the same hip hop, R&B, pure pop and new wave influences.
Unfortunately it’s the ‘Hollaback Girl’ formula she sticks closest to, part rapping, part chanting in her own self involved way over rapid marching band beats.
The Neptunes’ typically sparse ‘Orange County Girl’ simply doesn’t work, resembling a Destiny’s Child B side that should have been left on the studio floor. ‘Yummy’, which is built on an equally minimalistic tribal rhythm, sounds half baked and uninspiring. The Swizz Beatz produced ‘Now That You Got It’, meanwhile, is the album’s most blatant retread of ‘Hollaback…’ and is a particular low point.
The most leftfield moment arrives in the shape of ‘Wind it Up’, an absolute mind fuck of a track, with club centric beats married to The Sound of Music (complete with yodelling).
As the album’s first single, it has already split her fanbase right down the middle, some calling it a masterwork true to her quirky nature, others a monstrosity comparable to Robbie Williams’ recent career suicide ‘Rudebox’. It’s probably a bit of both, and in hindsight the excellent title track would have been a wiser leadoff, bringing to mind the madcap electro adventures of Danger Mouse and Cee Lo.
Tellingly, it’s when Stefani remains loyal to her new wave roots that the album lives up to its potential. ‘Early Winter’, for example, is a slice of dreamy pop with a strong melancholy feel that could easily have been recorded during No Doubt’s Return of Saturn era, while the glorious ‘80s synth pop melodicism of ‘Wonderful Life’ is reminiscent of Depeche Mode’s ‘Precious’ (DM’s Martin Gore even guests on guitar and keyboards). And if anything, they make you yearn for the days when Stefani came sans designer wear and quasi pimp chic.
Crass, repetitive and ultimately disposable, this is, for the most part, one solo album too far. Stefani needs to lose the excess baggage. She needs to dream it all up again. But more than anything else, she needs No Doubt.
Like this? Try these:
Beyonce – B’Day
No Doubt – Rock Steady
Fergie – The Dutchess
RELEASED
4th Dec ‘06
LABEL
Polydor
POSTED...
Sat 2 Dec 2006 at 1:31pm
