Artist: Gwen Stefani
Album: Love.Angel.Music.Baby
Label: Interscope
Tracks: 12
As a writer, I like to read up on an album before I sit down to write the review. Sometimes I get an awesome PR sheet included along with the album—ones that describe the band as ‘the next Beatles’ or ‘synth-ska-meets-metalcore like never before!’. But sometimes I don’t get a PR sheet, and have to go to the most reliable resource on the planet—the Internet.
While I was doing some research on Gwen Stefani’s ‘Love, Angel, Music, Baby’, I came across perhaps one of the best reviews I’ve ever read. Dominique M. Brooks from Oakland, CA writes:
‘OH YEAH OH YEAH
THIS ALBUM IS VERY VERY HOT
I LOVE THE 80;S POP FEEL IN THIS ALBUM
THIS ALBUM IS SO AMASING I CAN LISTEN TO EVERY TRACK ALL THE WAY THREW.ITS VERY INTERESTING THAT IN THE “ITS MY LIFE” VIDEO,GWEN KILLS OFF ALL THE BAND MEMBERS AND NOW BECOME SOLO WITH THIS HIP HOP POP DRIVEN ALBUM. ALL THE SONGS STAND OUT BUT MY FAVRORITES ARE HOLLABACK GIRL RICH GIRL,AND WHAT YOU WATIN FOR OF COURSE AND THE SONG THAT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT MY NEW FOUND LOVE..”THE REAL THING” THIS ALBUM KEEPS ME GOING
GWEEN HAVE THE BEST STYLE HANDSDOWN..U MUST GIVE THIS ALBUM A TRY..THIS IS THE FUTURE OF NEW MUSIC..GET USED TO IT SUCKAS!!’
I know you may think, “After that, who cares what Julia has to say?" Maybe you already don’t care. Maybe you better GET USED TO IT SUCKAS!!
I was really excited to hear about Gwen’s latest musical venture—‘L.A.M.B.’. I’ve been a huge fan of hers ever since watching the video for ‘Just A Girl’. I remember seeing her and thinking to myself, man, she totally demands attention. Sure, she’s beautiful, stylish, and talented, but her confidence is what sets her apart.
I was curious to see the direction her solo project would take. I despised the Moby and Eve/Dr. Dre collaborations, so was hoping having an all-star list of contributors wouldn’t end up like those.
‘What You Waiting For’ was perhaps both a wise and poor choice to start L.A.M.B off. I love the verse melody especially, but overall it’s upbeat, catchy—it’s a great radio single. Take away trite lyrics like ‘Take a chance you stupid…’, add a little more transition between song parts and it would be a solid song. It is the best song on the album, which led to my previous statement of it being both a wise and poor choice to start the album. What happens throughout most of the album afterwards still confuses me.
You know how we all have at least one person who can put things into perspective for us—who can save us from massive embarrassment? Whether it be our parents, or our best friend who saves us from wearing the outfit that makes us look like the Grimace dude from McDonald’s—most of us have that person. Well, the one thing I get from listening to this album is that the No Doubt boys were those parents, those friends.
I can appreciate Gwen as a musician wanting to expand to include all types of genres, but it just doesn’t work on LAMB. We go from hard to slow, from pop to corny 90’s R&B.
Forget the juvenile lyrics throughout the album—some of these songs are just downright embarrassing. ‘Hollaback Girl’, ‘Bubble Pop Electric’, ‘Luxurious’, ‘Harajuku Girls’, and ‘Crash’ all actually to the point where they made me angry and irritated. I listened to the album a few times in both my car and at work—and each time those tracks (tracks 3,5,6,7,and 8) put me in a bad mood. I’m all about silliness, but these tracks go overboard to the point silliness turns into cheese and annoyance.
So next comes the burning question--What is a Harajuku Girl? They apparently are the hottest thing since Krunk. Listen to this album one time through, and you won’t care. There are so many references to them and their wicked style on L.A.M.B, it’s almost ridiculous. However, if you still must know I can help. I went to my reliable source, the Internet to www.japan-guide.com to look further into this phenomenon. I found out that Harajuku is Tokyo’s teenager town, a shopping and entertainment district for the young and trendy. It is apparently best to visit Harajuku on a Sunday when Harajuku’s teenage culture can be seen ‘at its best’.
Tracks ‘The Real Thing’, ‘Serious’ and ‘The Danger Zone’ remind me of songs I would skate to at my 5th and 6th grade roller skating parties—those mid to late 80’s minor key pop songs. They’re all good songs, but by this point, could do nothing to save the album.
‘Long Way to Go’—featuring Andre 3000 and the 1963 Martin Luther King ‘I Have a Dream’ speech closes the album trying to fight for a noble cause, but fails terribly. Lyrics such as ‘His/Her skin wasn’t the same color as mine but he/she was fine, he/she was fine’ seemed to cheapen such an amazing and important speech.
This album is a must have for its production value alone--it sounds incredible. Unfortunately that is perhaps the only really good thing about the album. Even so, I am still a huge fan of Gwen. I feel bad for having to say anything negative about her. I wish I felt like Dominique M. Brooks from Oakland, CA when I listen to ‘L.A.M.B.’, but I don’t. So, GET USED TO IT SUCKAS.
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