At Wick's End
Thirty-five years in the making and it is finally here. It is what we all have been waiting for, Gwen Stefani's debut solo album. While we usually equate this blonde bombshell as the emotionally-charged lead singer of the old-school ska band, No Doubt, she has stepped out on her own, joining forces with many creative and talented musicians with her release Love.Angel.Music.Baby.
While L.A.M.B. refers to her fashion line in a few instances on the album, it is well worth a listen to see how she has recreated herself and grown throughout her career as she collaborated with many diverse artists. Stefani is not typecast as a ska-princess; she is able to change as an artist and assume new roles because of her strong personality coupled with her overall talent as a singer who can manipulate her voice.
For L.A.M.B., Stefani worked with artists like The Neptunes, Dr. Dre, Andre 3000, Jimmy Jam, New Order, Eve and No Doubt band mate Tony Kanal. L.A.M.B. is certainly an eclectic mixture of music ranging from '80s dance music to R&B to rock. While the style of this album seems atypical of her prior music, Stefani works well with other artists of different genres and creates an interesting piece of art.
Gwen stepped through the looking glass and came out of her shell yet again, as a new person experiencing music without her band, and instead pairing up with many other musicians. Her old character of being a rocker-chick, however, remains present, illustrating that while she is focused on a new artistic direction, she is the same ol' Gwen, not afraid to express her every feeling.
The album starts out with the song \What You Waiting For,"" showcasing Stefani's control over her art. Her vocals are mind-boggling as she manipulates her voice as not only a singing voice, but one that can be used as an instrument. From the outset, Stefani pours on heavy bass, layers of vocals, rhythmic panting and her energy is as high as ever. Additionally, ""What You Waiting For"" proves Gwen can still jump up and down, just like she did eight years ago with ""Spiderwebs.""
Stefani shines the brightest on her sentimental songs. These songs have always been a fort?? throughout her career, especially with ""Don't Speak,"" which gave No Doubt its notoriety. On L.A.M.B., she still embraces this sentimentality, but captures it using different musical elements. Stefani ditched the brass and off-beat guitar, trading them in for synths and dance-beats as she collaborated with Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook of New Order in the song ""Real Thing."" Stefani's ability to harness her emotions in her lyrics coupled with strong instrumentation surrounding her vocals proves how she has mastered the power ballad.
The final track of the album, ""Long Way to Go,"" is a duet including Andre 3000 and Stefani. Their voices blend perfectly together, but at times Stefani's voice seems a bit drawn out by Andre 3000's powerful vocals. That aside, they are still able to play off each other's artistic energy and create a solid track. Furthermore, their vocals drive the melody; the only other instruments added into the mix include a fast drum beat and a piano playing a counter melody. At the end, brass is incorporated leaving fans guessing the direction Stefani will go next.
It seems this album stands as a symbol for the woman Stefani has become, and she is no longer ""Just a Girl."" Gwen is extremely diverse in her talent not only with how she can delve into many different musical genres, but engage in different forms of art. She is a work-aholic who established her own clothing line and will soon have her on-screen debut. She is able to recreate herself, yet remains extremely close to her roots and appreciative of where she has come from.
For those who are extremely attached to No Doubt and fond of the music they produced, this probably is not the best album for you. But you can appreciate how Gwen continues to be creative as she reaches in new directions, finds inspiration and embrace new concepts. Stefani is a Singer/Actress/Designer/Artist and this can be clearly seen in her solo debut Love.Angel .Music.Baby.
Beth Wick is a junior majoring in journalism and history. Her column runs every Wednesday. She can be reached at eawick@wisc.edu.
