Album Review: Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape (4 / 5)

Gwen Stefani became quite the pop music sensation upon the release of 2004 solo debut, Love.Angel.Music.Baby. The decent, but inconsistent album was widely praised by critics and a year later lavished with Grammy nominations, including one for album of the year. It struggled first on the charts, with first single "What You Waiting For?," which failed to make the US top 40. She turned that around quickly with top 10 hit "Rich Girl" and then scored a slam dunk with the tremendously popular Neptunes-produced "Hollaback Girl." Three more singles followed in decreasing popularity and Gwen closed up shop for almost a year, among rumours that a second L.A.M.B. album would follow.

Two years since the release of L.A.M.B., those rumours prove true. Although not L.A.M.B. II in name, The Great Escape certainly embodies the spirit of her first album. Critics have appeared to wisen up about Ms. Stefani this time around--reviews are good, but not glowing. As much as L.A.M.B. was overrated, The Great Escape might be in danger of being underrated, as it has some good moments, few truly awful moments (there's only one song I really don't like at all).

Gwen's songs fall into one of two buckets: 1) wannabe hip-hop, and 2) electro/retro '80s pop. Her competence clearly falls in the latter category, despite some experiments in the former that do yield fun results, such as the nutty Neptunes-produced "Yummy," which is about the most bizarre thing she's done yet. It's fun, but I don't see it holding up well to repeat listens. Other hip-hop confections quickly wear out their welcome, such as repetitive "Now That You Got It."

The hip-hop styled tracks that work besides "Yummy," are "Don't Get It Twisted," a beat-heavy stomper full of video game sound effects about the trials of pregnancy, and first single "Wind It Up," another Neptunes production that posts its own bevy of video game bleeps as well as an interpolation from The Sound of Music's "The Lonely Goatherd." Yodelay yodelay yodelay hee hoo indeed. The Neptunes, having scored big with "Hollaback Girl" on L.A.M.B., were awarded with production honors on five tracks, finding pop gold with "Wind It Up" and "U Started It," but striking out on dull "Orange County Girl" and greating "Breaking Up."

While the Neptunes earn mixed reviews, some of the album's best numbers are collaborations with No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal. In addition to "Don't Get It Twisted," Kanal gets credit for the album's finest track, '80s-styled mid-tempo "4 In the Morning." It delivers the cleanest, truest melody of any song on the album; it's nice to hear Gwen actually singing with sustained notes here too. Kanal's "Fluorescent" is another fine slice of retro-pop, that like "4 In the Morning" features great keyboard-laden choruses. It's not an accident that soem of the album's best stuff come from their reteaming, signalling that it may be time for a No Doubt comeback.

Other collaborators produce good results. The Akon-produced title track, "The Sweet Escape," is an obvious choice for a future single; it's surprisingly sweet and more along the '80s lines than hip-hop. Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane worked with Gwen on "Early Winter," one of the album's most mature and enjoyable songs. No surprise it features piano, but credit Rice-Oxley with making it sound like a Gwen song, not something Keane would do. Linda Perry collaboration "Wonderful Life" is a great New Wave, sounding like a lost Depeche Mode track. It's so much better than what Perry came up with for Christina Aguilera.

It will be interesting to see if Stefani can come up with as many hit singles from The Sweet Escape as she did with her last album. There's so potential here for sure, but I'm hpping she drops the clothing line and finds her way back her band to focus on making their masterpiece. You know she has it in her. It's time.

Best tracks: Wind It Up, Early Winter, 4 in the Morning, Fluorescent, Don't Get It Twisted, Wonderful Life