On their fifth album, Gwen Stefani and the No Doubt crew go back to their roots for a new sonic opus: Rock Steady described by the future Mrs. Gavin Rossdale as "a sparkling, happy, positive party record." For this, the band jetted to Jamaica, London and all points between, recording with a handful of diverse producers to record an eclectic album that will leave many wondering how to categorize this album.
On board this time around in the producer’s chair, The Neptunes, Trip-Hop pioneer Nelle Hooper and famed Madonna producer William Orbit and some guy called Prince.
Most of Rock Steady is just great, a career salvage job to compare with Madonna’s "Ray Of Light." As you’d expect from titles like "Hella Good," "Hey Baby" and "Start the Fire," the music on this album is simple and propulsive, which in the time-honored rock ‘n’ roll manner forces the songs to improve; chord changes and turns of phrase that would have been lost if included on the band’s last album "Tragic Kingdom."
Orbit’s programming skills and disco enthusiasm can be heard on "Making Out," while Reggae legends Sly and Robbie handle the slow burners "Hey Baby" and "Underneath it All"; relative newcomers Steely & Clevie merge analog with dancehall on "Start the Fire." "Waiting Room" is a surprisingly juicy duet with Prince, who wanted to pay Stefani back for singing on the "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" album; it proves that whatever the purple man has lost in songwriting skills, he still is some singer. "Running" is enough to elevate you to cloud nine, recapturing some of the personal uncertainty and video game electro-pop of Saturn. "Detective" is home to a familiar hip-hop melody that was probably picked up somewhere between Stefani’s duet with Eve and the band’s recent collaborations with Dr. Dre. "Don’t Let Me Down" is the obvious jewel on this album. The song breaks away from the pack like "Spiderwebs" on Tragic Kingdom or "Simple Kind of Life" on Return of Saturn.
The songs production credits are courtesy of new wave oracle and ex-Cars front man Ric Ocasek, hence the synth solo from "Just What I Needed." This album puts to rest the rumors of Stefani going solo, after her successful collaborations with Moby and Eve in 2001. And some fans might accuse the band of selling out, but I don’t think that’s the case on Rock Steady. In fact, the band have moved forward and advanced their music much the same as most long-lasting artist have done.
Madonna, U2 and many others have had to change their music in order to keep up with times. Many people accused U2 of selling out after Actung Baby, but they were just evolving and experimenting as artists and the results were unforgettable. So overall "no doubt" on Rock Steady get their yin yang in balance. It is as consistent an album as you can expect from a band that refuses to stand still.
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