cletta1201's Full Review: Love.Angel.Music.Baby. by Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani is music’s “it” girl of the moment. The platinum blond chameleon and most visible member of No Doubt is striking out on her own and the result is nothing like you would expect. The solo version of Gwen Stefani is a little bit Lisa Lisa, a little bit Cindy Lauper and throw in some Madonna to boot.
Stefani, in her own right is a trendsetter. Culling her fashion style from Chola & Harajuku girls, mixed with a bit of Hollywood glamour, she’s like the girl you knew from high school. Well, the one who made her own clothes and marched to the beat of a slightly off-kilter drummer. Part of the appeal of Gwen Stefani is that she seems to be a larger than life star who could also but just an ordinary girl, but she isn’t.
”Love Angel Music Baby” is a great album. It’s not a No Doubt album and in some ways, it’s not even the record that most folks would expect Stefani to make. Gone is the strong ska influence that was No Doubt’s trademark. It has been replaced with “it” producers and manufactured beats. ”Love Angel Music Baby” is 80’s synth-pop, R&B and hard grooves, all done with a pop swagger.
The albums lead single, the staccato ”What You Waiting For?” is a great single simply because it is so reflective of what else you’ll hear while tapping your foot along to ”Love Angel Music Baby”.
The one thing that hasn’t changed between Stefani’s gig as No Doubt’s lead singer and her solo turn is that her writing is still very about her life. Case in point the Tony Kanal co-written ”Cool”: ”And after all the obstacles/It's good to see you now with someone else/And it's such a miracle that you and me are still good friends/After all that we've been through/I know we're cool”. But, in true Stefani style – it ain’t that serious.
Gwen’s tongue is firmly planted in cheek and the result is an album of songs that are not only good, but fun to listen to. ”Rich Girl” and ”Hollaback Girl” are flirty and saucy. On the former, Stefani is teamed with Eve on a track that dares to sample “Fiddler On The Roof”. ”Hollaback Girl”, a Neptunes produced gem is an around the way schoolgirl anthem that is purely infectious.
Tracks like the aforementioned ”Hollaback Girl” and ”Luxurious” are why Gwen Stefani is so deft at breaking down music barriers. She is equal parts pop princess and b-girl and manages to weave them seamlessly. Andre 3000, as “Johnny Vulture” lends a hand on the electro-snappy ”Bubble Pop Electric as well on ”Long Way To Go” which is so Prince/Wendy & Lisa it’s not even funny.
”Serious” and ”Crash” beg for fluorescent colors and blue eye shadow in a big way, as does so much of the album. And that 80’s feel is a constant but it doesn’t bog down the album as a whole. ”Love Angel Music Baby” manages to combine Stefani’s love of 80’s dance music and still be relevant in 2004.
- Final Thoughts -
The beauty of an album like ”Love Angel Music Baby” is that it comes along at a time when nothing else on the radio sounds remotely close to anything on the album. This is not to say that Stefani is reinventing the wheel here, while so much of what’s on the album is fresh and innovative, some of it’s been done before and that’s okay. ”Love Angel Music Baby” is a bit quirky, a lot innovative and hella fun to listen to.
In her own unique way, Gwen Stefani has managed to shift our culture since coming onto the scene as the lead singer of No Doubt. With years of definin...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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