Rock Steady [ECD] - No Doubt

...the charts with their soft rock anthem 'Don't Speak', while previously they had been at the forefront of one of the most repugnant genres in the entire history of modern music, in the form of American ska-punk. So I thought buying 'Rock Steady' would result in my coolness, and inevitably my popularity, rapidly declining, and I would be forced to carry a bell around with me like a leper and announce my unclean presence whenever a social occasion arose.
...had 'Rock Steady' been released had No Doubt suddenly become quite a cool prospect and a band that it was okay to admit to following. Fast forward a few years up to the present and singer Gwen Stefani is being marketed as the coolest cat to ever walk the earth, a multi-talented singer, songwriter, actress, model, clothes designer and all-round icon. Music changes with rapid pace, and bands have to adapt or be left on the backburner. No Doubt did ... more

I was teased for buying this album a few years ago by my friends, who laughed at how tragically unhip No Doubt were. Indeed, I had always considered No Doubt to be a bit of what I call a 'nothing' band, a band who are pretty meaningless and who, if they were suddenly removed from existence (in some bizarre twist of fate), the music scene would not be affected a single iota. Look around and those kind of bands are everywhere - Turin Breaks, Placebo and Maroon 5 being two prominent examples. No Doubt were desperately uncool and credibility-free, troubling the charts with their soft rock anthem 'Don't Speak', while previously they had been at the forefront of one of the most repugnant genres in the entire history of modern music, in the form of American ska-punk. So I thought buying 'Rock Steady' would result in my coolness, and inevitably my popularity, rapidly declining, and I would be forced to carry a bell around with me like a leper and announce my unclean presence whenever a social occasion arose.

Alas, how times change. For no sooner had 'Rock Steady' been released had No Doubt suddenly become quite a cool prospect and a band that it was okay to admit to following. Fast forward a few years up to the present and singer Gwen Stefani is being marketed as the coolest cat to ever walk the earth, a multi-talented singer, songwriter, actress, model, clothes designer and all-round icon. Music changes with rapid pace, and bands have to adapt or be left on the backburner. No Doubt did the sensible thing and adapted, and they should be thankful that they did, as soon enough they were destined to be joining Rancid and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in the dumpster of tragically uncool former ska-punk bands.

And it's not that this case of pop revisionism was accidental, either. Indeed, it seems very curiously studied, plotted and methodically executed. A potted history of No Doubt: formed in 1986, the band bubbled away on the punk circuit for a number of years, with no success to speak of, until 1995 and their 'Tragic Kingdom' album, a massive seller across the globe, spurred on by the anthemic break-up number 'Don't Speak'. And then… obscurity. No Doubt returned with 2000's 'Return of Saturn', an album overwrought with introspection and 'sympathise-with-me' lyricism, one which was unequivocally awful and a commercial bomb. It looked like the band were finished. However, they clearly weren't willing to give up their spot in the limelight just yet. Taking their inspiration from a revived hip-hop scene, plus Gwen's brilliant collaboration on the Eve/Dre masterpiece 'Let Me Blow Ya Mind', as well as dancehall reggae, No Doubt returned to the scene with an army of new collaborators and producers and voila, Operation: Become Cool was suddenly restored.

This is much less introspective album than 'Return of Saturn'. Whereas that album was heavy on what I call the 'victim complex', where the lyrics are a cry for help and deal with problems, problems, problems… oh, the trappings of fame. 'Rock Steady' suitably rejects this and places the emphasis firmly on partying, having fun and creating something you can dance to. Lead single 'Hey Baby' summarises this newfound ethos with its quirky keyboards and catchy chorus. The Neptunes co-write 'Hella Good' directly references Afrika Bambaataa's 'Planet Rock'. This is the first of many tracks to suggest a distinctly retro vibe, as 'Running' is completed by some Duran Duran-esque synthesisers, while 'Platinum Blonde Life', produced by Ric Ocasek of new wave geniuses The Cars, shines with new wave pristine precision.

'Underneath It All' has a distinct reggae feel, complete with a curious rap from somebody called Lady Saw. It has a gentle, lilting beat and catchy hook, and a sweet lyric that suggests, bizarrely, that no matter what crazy antics her partner may get up to, she'll still love him. Which is obviously good news for Gavin Rossdale… then the sting in the tail comes with 'Don't Let Me Down', a song which basically speaks for itself, suggesting that the man in her life had better not mess her around. Contradictory? Well, blame that on the varying co-writers/producers, as while Ric Ocasek takes 'Don't Let Me Down', 'Underneath It All' features Sly & Robbie at the helm. You get the sense of a lack of cohesion, of a unifying voice, that the band are lost in a sea of big-name collaborators.

The only disappointing collaboration is with Prince. 'Waiting Room' had a lot of promise but is extremely weak and character-free. You would expect two dynamic personalities such as Prince and Stefani to conjure up something quite wonderful, but ultimately the results are enormously underwhelming, the song just doesn't register. The sexed-up vibe that Prince had traded on since time immemorial now seems hackneyed and tired. Please, Prince, change the script.

Noteworthy is the amount of collaborators there are on this album, with such luminaries as the Neptunes, Prince, Ocasek, Nelee Hooper, William Orbit and Sly & Robbie putting in an appearance. The wide range of collaborators ensures a wide range of styles covered on the album, with each collaborator bringing a new influence to the mix. This can result in a somewhat disjointed feel, as the band shift from style to style with a very tenuous cohesion. It often feels like No Doubt were desperate to cover so many bases that it seems like a collection of thirteen singles rather than one cohesive album with a singular 'voice'. The one good thing about of the amount of collaborators, aside from the touches of quality that they bring, is that No Doubt's original style, ska-punk, doesn't rear its ugly head.

Of course, with the benefit of hindsight we can now see the importance of this album. It suddenly made No Doubt into a band with much more street credibility than they had ever previously hoped to attain, while for Gwen Stefani it was another step up the ladder to super-stardom, going on to release a solo album, start her own fashion label and star in a Martin Scorcese movie (that'll be 'The Aviator'). As a standalone album it is worth a listen to, although No Doubt clearly haven't heard of the old maxim of 'too many cooks spoil the broth'. Had No Doubt trimmed back on the number of collaborators and sought a cohesive voice and style of their own this would have been an album of great character and great fun. As it is, it's a technically proficient album and is certainly fun, but somewhat character-free.

'Rock Steady' is available from Amazon.co.uk for £9.97 

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