Gwen Stefani : Releases >>

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Love Angel Music Baby  >>

So long, tatty Warped Tour T-shirt, goodbye day-glo pedal pushers: Love Angel Music Baby, the debut solo album from No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, finds this former ska-punk tomboy embracing `80s electro-pop, digital R&B, and the glamorous lifestyle of the international jetsetter. Laden with special guests (Andre 3000, Dr Dre, New Order), name-dropping the likes of Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, and packed with guilt-free references to conspicuous consumption, tracks like "Luxurious"--a cut of velvety G-Funk that sees Gwen cooing "Champagne kisses/ Hold me in your lap of luxury"--may well be an instant turn-off to fans more familiar with Gwen's punk-rock roots. Luckily, there's some fine pop crossover moments here that should pretty much appeal across the board: "Hollaback Girl" finds Gwen riding a Neptunes beat that's as minimal as anything in their oeuvre, spare boom-crash percussion and wisps of acoustic guitar undercut by floor-shaking bass whoomp, while "Rich Girl" featuring Eve, repaying the favour for 2002's "Let Me Blow Your Mind", raids Fiddler On The Roof and comes out with a great pop hook. As an album, it's not totally devoid of filler, but Love Angel Music Baby will break Gwen to a whole new fanbase, and deservedly so.--Louis Pattison

The Sweet Escape  >>

Gwen Stefani's second solo album, The Sweet Escape, finds the sassy blonde starlet moving even farther away from her ska-punk No Doubt origins. This time around, as apparent from the album cover alone, the focus is clearly on bling, not swing. Which would explain why her collaborators on The Sweet Escape are practically a who's-who of contemporary urban music producers: Akon (who also guests on the title track), Nellee Hooper and, of course, The Neptunes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's The Neptunes, with their playful pop sensibilities, who are responsible for some of the catchiest tracks here--"Orange County Girl", which is a SoCal version of "Jenny From the Block", the sultry and sparse "Yummy" (which features vocals by Pharrell) and the Sound of Music sampling first single "Wind It Up". The lesser known Swizz Beatz, meanwhile, have somehow produced Stefani's most Neptunes-sounding track with "Now That You Got It". The most surprising track, considering the source, is "Early Winter", a straightforward rock ballad produced not by her longtime No Doubt collaborator Tony Kamal, but by slick R&B specialist Hooper. Fans looking for a return to Stefani's indie roots may find this album a bit of a shock, but The Sweet Escape should find a home in both dancefloors and the pop charts. --Ted Kord

Gwen Stefani - Harajuku Lovers Live [2006]  >>

Love.Angel.Music.Baby.  >>

So long, tatty Warped Tour T-shirt, goodbye day-glo pedal pushers: Love Angel Music Baby, the debut solo album from No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, finds this former ska-punk tomboy embracing `80s electro-pop, digital R&B, and the glamorous lifestyle of the international jetsetter. Laden with special guests (Andre 3000, Dr Dre, New Order), name-dropping the likes of Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, and packed with guilt-free references to conspicuous consumption, tracks like "Luxurious"--a cut of velvety G-Funk that sees Gwen cooing "Champagne kisses/ Hold me in your lap of luxury"--may well be an instant turn-off to fans more familiar with Gwen's punk-rock roots. Luckily, there's some fine pop crossover moments here that should pretty much appeal across the board: "Hollaback Girl" finds Gwen riding a Neptunes beat that's as minimal as anything in their oeuvre, spare boom-crash percussion and wisps of acoustic guitar undercut by floor-shaking bass whoomp, while "Rich Girl" featuring Eve, repaying the favour for 2002's "Let Me Blow Your Mind", raids Fiddler On The Roof and comes out with a great pop hook. As an album, it's not totally devoid of filler, but Love Angel Music Baby will break Gwen to a whole new fanbase, and deservedly so.--Louis Pattison

The Sweet Escape (2006) [US Import]  >>

Let Me Blow Ya Mind [CD 2]  >>

Let Me Blow Ya Mind [CD 1]  >>

Luxurious  >>

Maximum Gwen Stefani: Interview  >>

The Sweet Escape  >>