Postby Reveutopique » Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:15 am
Being a Gwen Stefani fan these days is so musically political. She is an entertainer/musician etc.
Music is a business. It takes a certain type of person to be successful. If someone figures out how to manipulate the market then I say good on them.
I will say, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt are two different things. Solo she is all about fun (and brand) and I think it's great. L.A.M.B. was missing on the market. High end punk rock ska flare..yespleasethankyou. Though I haven't ever bought anything from there I like that is available to me.
I personally love a lot of her solo stuff but the No Doubt worshipping part of me can't help but cringe at some of the songs (though the videos are fun/hilarious) and that's ok too. Those songs are just too silly for my sensibilities. All the stuff she did with Pharrell was a no go for me and commercially it reflected. Though, I think he is talented.
I think writing lyrics is difficult for Gwen. She often talks about how she went through years of writer's block.
With No Doubt She wrote songs about wondering who will marry her, that she wishes for a baby mistake, that she is often jealous of women or even suspicious of someone's intent towards her.
I used to think all these things were cringeworthy, but you know what, it takes a lot of courage to admit how you feel when you feel less than perfect. And I think for her it took a lot of strength. Those songs didn't always do so well commercially.
The songs she sings feel liberating and comforting for a lot of people. If you have not looked into No Doubt after Tragic Kingdom, you do yourself a disservice (imho).
Not to also mention that No Doubt is a band that started in the 80s. They toured their asses off. The person who gave the group their name, John Spence, was a member of the band. He often said the 80s staple phrase, "No doubt" (or so I've heard it was an 80s staple). Unfortunately he took his own life.
I think it took a lot for them to move on after that.
1985-2016 and still going strong?
So what if she puts out a couple of creative duds and has a little fun? She has more than earned this album. She sounds great live. She literally stands and delivers.
She can quiet an entire outdoor amphitheater with her presence in a matter of minutes.
As for this album, I get that she made it for money, for fun, bc she could, bc No Doubt's last album, though a fantastic album, went over the heads of most. I bet if all this stuff with her personal life had happened while she was concentrating on No Doubt, she would have written the album with them.
I really don't know that I care that this album is over produced. Intelligently I know all this but my brain is just super excited. My ear thinks of this album as a great summer pop break up album.
Sorry not sorry that Gwen Stefani has a number 1 record which you can enjoy on many levels (fun, serious, heartache, light hearted, it's all there).
Tragic Kingdom is the first album I memorized (as you can attest Kaiser). It actually inspired 10 year old me to write down the lyrics to and plunk out a song on my keyboard (I remember it was called Downfall..Don't know what I was thinking). And then many more songs.
And honestly, No Doubt and Garbage were like gateway drugs for me into a crazy musical world.
Can you say you've ever felt that way? Not to also mention other things No Doubt's music was there with me for that has no place here. I will always be grateful to Gwen Stefani.
So yes, Gwen Stefani is someone I would put on to get ready to go out on the town or at a party even.
No Doubt for all other occasions and maybe newer No Doubt for parties too!
I did not mean to go into such a long winded essay post, but well, everyone has that one thing...
