Most annoying album cover ever?

 

http://991.com/newgallery/No-Doubt-Rock-Steady-295951.jpg

 

Anyway I think it's high time we got some proper discussion going in here so I'm shamelessly stealing Jonjo's 'album of the week' idea. Team Quest (and anybody else who wishes to join in!), you have one week to submit a review of the most recent studio album by No Doubt. Anybody who needs a link may wish to PM me.

Ooh yes! Definitely my favourite No Doubt album, so many classics on there!

I'll get around to doing this over the next couple of days...although I'll be the first to admit that I'm not brilliant with reviews!

I remember while listening to this album AGES ago I thought that only two worthy songs are Hey Baby and Rock Steady. :lol: I should re-listen it, maybe I'll change my mind.

I WILL WRITE THIS BY TONIGHT.

 

Magical album is magical.

I WILL WRITE THIS BY TONIGHT.

COUGHETY COUGH.

Jark, you are in NO POSITION to talk about missed deadlines and false promises on forums. Just sayin'.

THIS FORUM IS DEAD.

 

JARKY - PM me the album, I'll give it a shot at some point this week. :D

Demi Lovato adopted a similar colour scheme and font for her 'Don't Forget' album cover. Maybe this was the inspiration :magic:.

Demi Lovato adopted a similar colour scheme and font for her 'Don't Forget' album cover. Maybe this was the inspiration :magic:.

Oh yes, I thought the cover reminded me of something.

 

Anyway, I've never actually listened to this before, but I'm gonna give it a review tonight.

Hopefully I will actually end up reviewing this tomorrow!

I remember seeing the Demi Lovato cover and thinking it was such a rip-off of this cover!

OKAY I'm finally doing this shit! Let's go! I'm not going to write it as a proper review, just song-by-song musings.

 

 

Things kick off with Hella Good, which despite being a wild fan favourite has never quite been brilliant to these ears. It's also a very bizarre beginning to the album, being such a moody, brooding song and all. The rocky bassline and more bubblegum (although brief) middle 8 work in its favour though, and turned up loud it's a pretty fantastic vibe song if you're in such a mood, but I tend to prefer my No Doubt a little more singalong and explosive than this. Next it's Hey Baby, arguably their biggest hit to date and a song everybody knows, even they don't realise who it's sung by. Critics would point out that No Doubt had never been a pop act and this was undeniably a pop song with practically no hint of rock about it but it doesn't matter one bit - the chorus is an infectious as lice and the lyrics are off the chain amazing ('I'm just sippin' on camomile...'). I have a bizarre memory of this playing on the school bus back in the day and the boys all singing the 'boys say' bits and the girls doing the 'girls say's. How gay! Ultimately there's practically no substance behind the song but everybody's allowed their big commercial song designed especially for radio and this is that.

 

Things really get going with Making Out, which absolutely lives up to its brash title. 'I go around the world to see your face, but that just ain't good enough' snipes Gwen over a synthesised rock-pop beat. She can't decide quite how angry she is that her long distance relationship isn't working, but the beauty of it is that the backing track isn't angry at all - chirpy in fact. After an unexpected instrumental middle 8 a final verse kicks in and the whole thing explodes one last time. The song sets the tone for the rest of the album by managing to combine a huge, accessible hook with real instrumentation and that undeniably 'No Doubt' flavour. Next up it's Underneath It All, which it has to be said sticks out like a sore thumb on here, like an interloper from a different album. Its chilled Carribean vibe washes right over you and it sounds totally authentic (unlike, say, a certain Alexandra Burke single of a similar sound), thanks partially to a rap from the acclaimed Lady Saw. The song is long but it never stops being interesting, thanks in part to a change in pace half way through where it becomes an almost-ballad before finding its midtempo groove again. It's pretty, it's relaxing, but it's missing just a little something.

 

Detective next, which finds Gwen donning a child-like high pitched register as she investigates a dangerous boyfriend ('I'm gonna snoop and call you out'). It's rockier than what's come before, with a pulsating bass that never lets up, and at less than three minutes it's easily digestible, if a little throwaway with it. Next is Don't Let Me Down, which delivers a huge slice of warm melancholy thanks to a smooth vocal from Gwen and a backing track which mixes drums with melted sirens. Gwen commands her man not to blow it; he'd have to be heartless to consider it, so heartfelt is the request! On Start The Fire an electronic military-style beat is employed, over which Ms Stefani invites her baby to 'get a little higher' with her. Tempting, but then the song doesn't make much sense unless she and her lover are turned on by arson (perfectly possible!). 'Murder!', shouts a man somewhere in the mix. Who knows why. This is No Doubt doing their best Xenomania, splicing what feels like lyrics from a hundred different songs into one, and it works; it's totally lovely.

 

The fourth and final single to be lifted from the album, Running, wasn't a big success and it's possibly a bit too understated for mass consumption but it's also severely beautiful. One of the beauties of Gwen's vocal is that it's authentic enough to pull off egotistical, braggy lyrics and emotional, vulnerable musings in equal measure; here she's opening her heart to the extent that listening feels almost invasive. 'Keep holding my hand, so we don't get seperated' she begs, somehow managing to avoid sounding saccharine. Less introspective but just as enjoyable is the barmy In My Head, which truly takes things to another level on the crazyometer. 'Don't talk about ex-girlfriends!', Stefani commands bossily over a charged, mysterious beat. Close your eyes and you could be in some bizarre fantasy world (quite possibly the one from the What You Waiting For video) where chanting 'everybody wants everybody else!' is a perfectly normal thing to do. One of my favourite tricks is employed with a second chorus being introduced at the end ('let's talk about Gwen Stefani! Let's talk about how much you like me!') and the ride through crazyland continues on the more upbeat Platinum Blonde Life, electronic blips and bleeps firing off left, right and centre beneath lyrics which tell the story of complete and utter insanity. 'I try to do what I oughta, but never drink enough water' sighs our frontwoman in what should be nominated for the worst lyrical moment of the album - and yet, somehow, inexplicably, it works! This is pretty much as carefree and outright fun as a No Doubt song gets.

 

Things take another direction again for Waiting Room, a minimal and sparse number with more experimental drums than anything that's come before it. In some ways it sounds like a b-side - sonically it's nothing like the other songs here - but it's worthy of its place on the album simply in the name of variety. However for my money it's probably the weakest song on offer, lacking much in the way of a melody and sporting possibly the weakest vocal Gwen has ever given. Things look up again just in time for the gorgeous closing song, title track Rock Steady, which pours out of the speakers in glorious, gloopy fashion. A five and a half minute epic, the song acts as the perfect pedestal for the more vulnerable side of Gwen's vocals, and pulls off the slightly experimental vibe a whole lot better than the previous song as she explores her doubts about the future.

 

The album manages to be both varied and cohesive, upbeat and melancholy, but most amazingly for me, it was so far ahead of its time that no only does it fit in with the electronic pop sound of today (without losing No Doubt's unique identity), it also avoids sounding dated in the slightest. The production is incredibly fresh for an album that's almost a decade old. Almost every song here is memorable and fights for its place amongst the best of their back catalogue. I might be tempted to call it a masterpiece within the rock-pop genre.

 

:D

 

 

 

Hope that wasn't a stone bore for you all to read!

I'm going to score the songs out of 10 as I go too, generally I don't got below 5 though, unless it is terrible:

 

08.0 Hella Good - I really like this actually, one of the best songs on it, her voice sounds really good and the production sounds a lot more recent than it should do on a song of this age.

06.0 Hey Baby - A good song in here somewhere, just I don't DO rap and this has a particularly hideous one.

08.5 Making Out - What a catchy chorus and middle 8. Gwen's vocal is a bit annoying at times though, but I don't imagine it would work very well with anyone else singing.

06.5 Underneath It All - Starts off brilliant, continues being brilliant, BUT THEN THE RAP and it all goes to $h!t. I'm sorry but I just cannot be doing with raps coming in in the middle of lovely ballads and ruining them.

08.0 Detective - Hmm, there is a line at the start of the chorus that reminds me of a current song and I cannot place it which is irritating, but that aside, what a lovely short sharp little number, with a surprisingly nice vocal from Ms. Stefani.

08.5 Don't Let Me Down - Ooh what a marvellous chorus on this one, that's about it really, just really catchy.

05.0 Start A Fire - The 'interesting' almost bagpipe sound at the start doesn't do it for me, it's lacking a bit of melody really and doesn't really go anywhere.

08.5 Running - Now this is more like it, twinkly almost gameboy-esque synths are always a winner with me. This is probably my favourite vocal so far too, a little more laid back and kinda whispery/ethereal at times, which really works well with the song.

08.0 In My Head - Again with the sparse production, this is not working for me. At least this one has a melody and goes somewhere to actually keep me interested. I think this one is probably a grower. OH SWEET MERCIFUL CHRIST, name checking yourself is NEVER OK.

08.5 Platinum Blonde Life - A bit of RAWK this time, something I am rarely keen on, but that chorus is immense.

03.0 Waiting Room - Oh God, Prince, really? UGH. I swore I would never listen to another Prince song after 'Love Song' (with Madge), but this has put paid to that. God I hate his horrible voice. Otherwise the songs itself is quite alright, without him and his hideous hideous voice all over it, it might well get a 7, but as is, it is POOR.

07.0 Rock Steady - Well this makes a nice change after the aural rape of the previous track, even if I'm not that keen on the chorus. The verses are very good, I just don't like the way the chorus is sung, but otherwise a nice song. Definitely a good closer.

 

Overall I have found the album to be quite consistent, with the only proper dud being the Prince track. The 2 rap tracks would be up there with the best stuff on it if they were rap free though. I think, with repeated listens I could really grow to enjoy this album.

 

Overall mark 7.5/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hella Good - I have always like this song from the days when my sister would blast No Doubt out of her speakers, a weird thing someone just facebooked me this song :lol:, it doesn't sound old like a lot of things out at that time do. A solid 8.5/10.

 

Hey Baby - Like the previous track this song sits right at the back of my memory, jesus this brings back memories. 9/10

 

Making Out - cba to do anymore comments :lol: so i'll just rate. 7/10

 

Underneath It All - 7/10

Detective - 6/10

Don't let Me Down - 7.5/10

Start The Fire - 5/10

Running - 5/10

In My Head - 6/10

Platinum Blonde life - 7/10

Waiting Room - 6/10

Rock Steady - 5/10

 

Those scores kill me. :(

Only a 5 for 'Running'?! :o

 

That's in my top 3 No Doubt songs!

Only a 5 for 'Running'?! :o

 

That's in my top 3 No Doubt songs!

 

A lot of that album hasn't aged well for me at all.