On her new album "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" (LAMB), Gwen Stefani rocks like it's 1989. Stefani is a child of the '80s, and through her solo debut the rock princess tries to revive the decade mocked for its materialism, bad clothes, and worse music.
And for a large portion of LAMB, she succeeds.
On hiatus from her band No Doubt, Gwen has focused on her solo career. She has been working on projects including her album, acting in "The Aviator" alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, and her own clothing line (also called LAMB). She's getting a lot of press these days, and the media coverage only helps her quest to become the interim queen of pop.
Gone are the highly personal and introspective lyrics that made No Doubt and its female lead so successful. In the place of substance, LAMB delivers '80s new wave and pop, with hints of swing and electronica. There is none of the familiar ska sound No Doubt is famous for.
Fans of the rock band have let their displeasure be known. They've posted angry letters on message boards all over fan sites. Most of the complaints are that Gwen's solo album is just too weird, too over the top. And they are right.
Put the album on and the first song you hear is the first
single released to the public, "What You Waiting For." The "Alice in Wonderland"-inspired video prepares the audience for the absurd themes on the rest of LAMB. This first track also introduces us to Gwen's personal muses for this project: the four Harajuku Girls she named Love, Angel, Music and Baby.
The story goes that in the process of creating her album and her clothing line, Gwen had a creative block. While visiting the Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, Gwen was inspired by the glamour and style of the girls who go there to shop and show off. The Harajuku girls are referenced all over the album.
Dr. Dre produced the song "Rich Girl," a collaboration with female rapper Eve. Gwen helped Eve make a hit a few years ago on "Blow Your Mind," and Eve returns the favor. This track is no "Fiddler on the Roof" remake; it is inspired by Lady Saw's reggae hit "If I Were a Rich Girl." Dr. Dre takes the reggae beat and laces it with some heavy drums. "Rich Girl" is one of the two songs on this album that will grab some hip-hop listeners.
The other song is "Luxurious." Tony Kanal, lead guitarist of No Doubt, gets in on the production and samples the same Isley Brothers beat that made the Notorious B.I.G. so famous with "Big Papa." Kanal stretches the beat out even more by slowing down the playback and having Gwen sing (almost rap) her lyrics quickly. She sings about money, cars and clothes on "Luxurious," likely to the chagrin of some diehard No Doubters. Gwen's solo album is for her fans alone, not No Doubt fans looking for more No Doubt music.
Really, LAMB isn't about the music at all. It's about Gwen Stefani and the cultivation of her new persona and career. The producers are the ones making the music on this one, not Gwen. She's put her career in their hands for the chance to propel her celebrity even further.
LAMB is an eccentric pop album meant to solidify the identity of an artist and package it neatly in a jewel case. Sometimes it works. Look at Madonna, Prince and most recently Andre 3000, who produces two tracks on LAMB. But it can also backfire.
When an album is promoted as an extension of the of the artist's personality, bad songs become embarrassments. LAMB has twelve tracks, and starting with number seven, an homage to the bizarre Harajuku Girls, the songs get embarrassing. The later tracks are carbon copies of the new wave pop that went out of style in the '80s, and the second track produced by Andre 3000, "Long Way to Go," which has tape of Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches infused at the end, is catchy but too weird to like.
Gwen Stefani's new album splits right down the middle: half good and half bad. Some will call it a fun album, some will call it weird. Some fans will like it, some won't. But one thing is clear: for Stefani, it's no longer about the music. It's about the material.
