By Elyssa A. Goldstein
Gwen Stefani, the trendsetting front-woman for the rock band, No Doubt, has introduced the world to her new style and image on her debut solo album, ‘Love.Angel.Music.Baby’. As opposed to the punk-influenced rock songs that made Stefani’s band a huge commercial success, this album leans more towards the pop-dance style made famous by Madonna in the ’80s and copied by Britney Spears in the late ’90s. In various interviews, Stefani stated that this album would “be nothing you’ve ever seen before.” Unfortunately, ‘Love.Angel.Music.Baby.’ (also the name of Stefani’s new clothing line) is a pale imitation of Madonna’s earlier work and is even less entertaining than a Spears album.
Most of the tracks appear to be cast-offs from earlier pop-dance albums-songs that got rejected because they simply weren’t good enough. Despite working with some of the most legendary names in the music business, such as Chantal Kreviazuk and Dr. Dre (“Rich Girl”), The Neptunes (“Hollaback Girl”), Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (“Harajuku Girls”) and Outkast’s Andre 3000 (“Bubble Pop Electric” and “Long Way To Go”), Stefani’s risks with this album fall way short of anything revolutionary. The better tracks are found in collaborations with Linda Perry (“What You Waiting For?” and “The Real Thing”) and band-mate, Tony Kanal (“Crash” and “Serious”), but there are far more poor tracks than quality ones on the record.
The two predominant themes on this album are sex (especially in the backseat of cars as shown on “Bubble Pop Electric” and “Crash”) and Stefani’s fascination with foreign culture, specifically that of Harajuku, Japan. Besides the debut single, “What You Waiting For?,” the best track on the album is “Cool,” a Cyndi Lauper-style ballad that Stefani co-penned with Dallas Austin. The album’s second single, “Rich Girl,” a duet with rapper, Eve, is a revamping of the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from the classic Broadway musical, Fiddler on the Roof. After hearing this rendition one wonders why it was made in the first place. “Rich Girl” is more annoying than it is original.
This record is the perfect soundtrack for a drunken night at the club, but if you were one of the many fans looking for this album to make Stefani a superstar, you will have to keep looking. Gwen Stefani’s attempt at originality is no better than anything the music industry has seen before. Love.Angel.Music.Baby is just another album proving that a lead singer should not do projects independently of the band that made them famous. ?
The Chronicle gives ´Love.Angel.Music.Baby.´, by Gwen Stefani two 1/2 out of five stars.