While I must admit that I was never a huge fan of No Doubt's pop punk ska, their new sound combining reggae, hip hop and eighties news wave has conquered me.
With Rock Steady the band offers a fresh, nonchalant cocktail of musical influences of the last twenty years at the center of which one finds an unquestionable taste for melodies. Though Gwen Stefani's voice is always also distinctive, there is the impression that the group has made a fresh start with new, richer compositions that step away from their beginnings.
Rock Steady is a new wave album that flirts with reggae, hip hop, dub, funk and electronic. It's delightful to find the good old keyboards and guitars of the Eighties while Blondie, Duran Duran, Berlin and Siouxsie are never far away. The implication of producers like William Orbit, Sly & Robbie, Ric Ocasek and Prince only confirms the aspirations of the group to create a musical melting pot.
Although they're different styles, the tracks are connected in perfect osmosis for a course without faults. "Hella Good", the frisky new wave single, takes you by storm and gets under your skin while the dub single "Hey Baby" devastates with its infectious groove. "Making Out", a something like the eighties version of the Lords of Acid, offers a heady chorus. Following the too traditional reggae of "Underneath It All", "Detective" is welcome, sugary, electronic kitsch. "Don' t Let Me Down" and "Platinum Blonde Life" flirt with Blondie. "Start the Fire" ignites the dub whereas "Running" is a ballad that Taxi Girl wouldn't have disowned. The charming electronic "In My Head" is reminiscent of Depeche Mode's Photographic period. The influence of Prince is felt on "Waiting Room" before "Rock Steady" concludes with an electro dub.
With Rock Steady, No Doubt successfully reinvents itself to offer their best album.
No Doubt Rock Steady
