Artist: Gwen StefaniAlbum: The Sweet EscapeLabel: InterscopeRating: 2.5 Hollaback Girls out of 5
When Gwen Stefani came out with her 2004 solo effort Love.Angel. Music.Baby., it was as if pop music sirens had gone off. Originally intended as a side project away from No Doubt, the album scored several hit singles and became a major seller. Suddenly, Gwen had transformed from being the fashionable Cali girl from No Doubt to a major pop superstar along the lines of Madonna.
With her recent album, The Sweet Escape, Gwen tries to follow the same formula as Love.Angel.Music.Baby, to mixed results.
The album starts off with the annoyingly catchy first single “Wind It Up”. Though the song became a Top 10 hit, let’s be real: This isn’t a very good song. Sure, it may be catchy, and it’s a definite grower. But Gwen just sounds like she’s either trying to remake her no.1 hit “Hollaback Girl” or compete with fellow pop star Fergie.
And that’s the vibe I got in several songs.”4 In The Morning” sounds too similar to what’s on Top 40 radio. “Yummy”, while likeable, is a cheap thrill with no depth beyond it’s Fergie sounding demeanor(kind of funny seeing both these women biting off each other, as Fergie herself is guilty of copying Gwen). And while “Don’t Get It Twisted” has an interesting sound to it, there’s not much depth to it either.
Not that there’s nothing amazing off the album. There are several songs that show that Gwen can still make great pop music. The title track is pure pop perfection(and possibly one of the best songs of her career), “Flourescent” can easily stand amongst Madonna’s best material, and “U Started It” successfully utilizes the influence that Prince has had on her.
The best song off the album? The last track “Wonderful”, a synth-pop affair that sounds remarkably similar to some of Depeche Mode’s best songs. It’s when Gwen kicks it 80s style in this manner that you really start to appreciate her.
There were several collaborators on this album, many of them returning from Gwen’s first album. Among them are hip hop producer Pharrell Williams, songwriter Linda Perry(Courtney Love, Pink, Christina Aguilera), electronica whiz Nellee Hopper(Bjork, Madonna), and Tony Kanal, Gwen’s bandmate from No Doubt(as well as former boyfriend).
Overall, The Sweet Escape isn’t a horrific album at all, providing several bright spots that actually make this CD a worthy buy. As a whole, however, The Sweet Escape sounds like a weaker version of Love.Angel.Music. Baby that makes you wonder why Gwen, with her place in popular music history set, might feel she has to compete with all the Fergie’s of the music industry.