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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great, very much a modern day madonna!, 11 Aug 2005
I never expected to like Gwen Stefani's music - i didn't like "What you waiting for", although the Alice in Wonderland video was inspired. And that is what the majority of this album is - inspired, by many factors. Stefani deals with style ("Harajuku girls"), race ("Long Way to Go"), love ("The Real Thing", "Cool"), stereotypes ("Hollaback Girl", "Bubble Pop Electric"), and the rnb breakowns are a sort of cooling down. To be honest, it really works well. The fact that she resembles Madonna in some songs (e.g. "Serious") is deja vu in a good sense, because it's about time we had a female blonde star who knew what she was singing about.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
'80s Pop Chic, 30 Nov 2004
You really do have to listen to this a couple of times before making a decision on Gwen's first solo release. There's a lot of versatility here, but most of the tracks have a very heavy '80s pop/Madonna feel to them. I can definitely hear 'Get into the Groove' and Cyndi Lauper's 'Time after Time' on a couple of the tracks. Stand out tracks have to be the brilliant 'What You Waiting For', 'The Real Thing', 'Cool' and 'Crash', 'Danger Zone', the latter two definitely have single potential. The heavy influence of the '80s stands out in all of the best tracks, I can pick out Depeche Mode keyboards and the truly unique New Order guitar sound on a few of the tracks (i.e. The Real Thing), but mostly it's early Madonna with an occasional Shirley Manson-esque sound.There are a couple of really awful tracks on the LP, 'Hollaback' which is like some irritating cheerleader chant, and the dire collaboration with Andre 3000 'Long Way to Go', which had me reaching for the the skip button! Also there's 'Bubble Pop Electric' which is a borderline love or hate track, I am erring towards getting to like it, but could do without all the 'Grease' type talking at the beginning and end. I have to say that I much prefer the majority of this stuff to the truly disappointing (for me) 'Tragic Kingdom' album, there are some excellent pop tunes here and the use of different producers and collaborators on most tracks certainly gives a diverse sound and feel to this album which shows both versatility and a desire not to be pigeon-holed. Cool stuff, even the title of the album is cool - very '80's pop chic.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eclectic, but a worthy debut, 29 Nov 2004
I have been 'kind of' a fan of No Doubt for some time now, however, it has been more of a respect for them and Gwen as artists, rather than wholly enjoying their music. I always found it a little too eclectic and sometimes more 'punkey' than poppy, therefore wasn't quite as accessible as I would have liked. She has always fascinated me, she's like a living Manga character!
This album though, Gwens 1st debut album, is filled with great pop songs, is heavy on an 80's sound, and bridges that gap for me.
As usual, her work is very eclectic, but the songs are more commercial this time. The stunning single 'What You Waiting For?' is the highlight for me, along with 'Rich Girl' with Eve (which samples 'If I were a rich Man' from Fiddler on the Roof), the very Madonna-ish 'Harajuku Girls' (which this album has an obsession with), Danger Zone (which wouldn't be out of place in an 80's action movie a la Top Gun), and the beautiful (though simple) pop ballad, 'Cool' about how great it is to have a good relationship with an ex, and a very interesting track produced by the Neptunes, 'Hollaback Girl' which sounds like a cheer leader song, sung over the High School band!
There are a couple of mediocre tracks on this album, for me 'Bubble Pop Electric' and the Soul/R&B of 'Luxurious', which is simply a pleasant song. 'Long Way To Go', a duet with Andre 3000 is a nice song, a song with a heart, celebrating inter-racial romance, but doesn't go anywhere.
I was excited about the collaboration with New Order on 'The Real Thing', but I found it to be no more than a weak pop song. The remixed version (a bonus track) by Wendy & Lisa, which slows the song down a bit, is far better. As for the Elevator remix of 'What You Waiting For?' (also a bonus) is exactly what it says on the package, elevator music! No vocals, but it amused me.
Overall, this is a great debut album from Gwen. The only real criticism is that old adage, too many cooks can spoil the broth; perhaps a few less producers next time. (The Neptune's / Jam & Lewis / Dallas Austin / Dr Dre / Nellee Hooper amongst others). Because of all the producers, everyone will have their own favourite tracks and sound, which makes it harder to criticise.
Gwen is the only artist I have EVER thought has the chance top become the next Madonna if she so chooses. (And I mean that as a compliment).
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