Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

6.9 out of 10

A rather sporadic conglomeration of electro pop and synth driven ballads.

December 5, 2006 - After one listen to Gwen Stefani's second solo outing it may become very apparent that she's suffering from a serious case of musical multiple personality disorder. I mean what are we to expect when the album starts off with a bugged out Sound Of Music bhangra blitz that sounds like part M.I.A. and part Julie Andrews?

As if to confound those listening (or at the very least keep their ears on their toes) the title track comes crashing down like some bubblegum femme fatale pop theatrics as filtered through heliuminated Beach Boys doo-wop. It's bubbly, effervescent, and gets under your skin like some vintage girl group pop, a la Motown, only rendered by a Southern Cali O.C. Betty. Whoa!


Sadly, the upbeat, sprightly mood is shattered by the fairy tale forlornness of the third track, "Orange County Girl." Considering that the O.C. is known for its sunny disposition (both in terms of acquired wealth of the inhabitants and the always warm weather), the downbeat vibe of the track is awash in sonic contradictions. That it kind of sounds like a throwaway from Britney doesn't help much, either. The strange vibes continue on "Early Winter," which was produced by O.G. Bristol pioneer Nellie Hooper. The track sounds like an old U2 number, say from Achtung Baby, albeit minus the jangly guitars. Again the cold, distant atmosphere is at odds with the slamming club glitz that sucked us into Gwen's sophomore world at the onset. That said, the track is rather captivating, showcasing Stefani's mature, rich vocals. Still, it's more of a late '80s electro ballad, kind of like something Georgio Moroder might have concocted on a slow day. But hey, sometimes brand new is retro and vice/versa.

"4 In The Morning" is perhaps the most generic, mainstream, and blasé-blah pop song on the entire album, sounding like something that might hail from the Eastern portion of Europe rather than the Los Angeles Mecca of pop ephemera. This is in large part due to Tony Kanal's production which is rife with synthetic strings and an unavoidably slick sheen which drips from the track with syrup laden viscosity.

Just when you've gotten into the smarmy Top 40/Adult Contemporary mode, The Neptunes kick back in with some percussive driven grooves and a Pharrell rhyme in which he swaggers with a baritone rasp, flossing about his wealth and shine (tired thematics all) and Stefani herself slips from cheesy crooning to mock rapping augmented by a girlie-girl from the wrong side of the tracks (think Betty Boop on a pistol whipping rage) chorus that is just as bugged out as the yodeling that rippled through the album's first track. The instrumental outro to the track is damn near brilliant and again shows that Pharrell and Hugo have slowly begun to tweak their recognizable sound design, opting for clanky dissonance which is all mechanical and gurgling synth lumber, complete with dentist drills and ominous cartoons-of-doom marching music.

Kanal continues to confound, more or less ditching his standard pop trappings for the bulk of the "Fluorescent" (the chorus is still pretty T40 styled, however). Instead the songs mostly reverberates with a straight lift of vintage Prince as Stefani rises to the occasion (or succumbs to the obvious) by sounding like one of the Purple one's many '80s vixens, delivering breathy utterances, seductive moans, before slipping into super croon mode on the chorus. Still, Stefani proves to be captivating despite the stylistic swipe. And even Kanal's repetitive keyboard passages prove to be infectious despite their banality.

The Neptunes return with electro pulse on "Breakin' Up," which has Stefani mimicking groups like Flock of Seagulls and the darker side of Missing Persons. Kanal returns for a third go, this time dipping into electro shock therapy with the abrasive "Don't Get It Twisted" in which Stefani proffers "This is the most craziest shit ever…" Sadly, whenever an artist feels compelled to deem a piece of their work as being "the craziest" or "wildest" or "sickest" it's usually the exact opposite. With the exception of the swirling chorus, which sounds like something culled from the dark recesses of Danny Elfman's mind, the song is pretty standard. The Neptunes go for generi-pop on the serene "U Started It," a mature, adult sounding pop tune that one could easily see Stefani crooning at a Vegas review years from now. It also has a decidedly Prince (think Purple Rain era) vibe, thanks to soulful backing vocals and Stefani's vocal intonations.


The album's final track, "Wonderful Life," again features the lush soundscapes of Nellee Hooper, throwing the switch on the flashback sound machine and whisking us back to the late '80s. This time, however, it works with wondrous elasticity. Stefani works the beat, careening her plaintive vocals with a rich earnestness that is simply mesmerizing. It's a prime example of how when she's on point, she can't be messed with.

A strange thing happens on the way from start to finish, even though The Sweet Escape fails to unfold like a cohesive album, many of the tracks that feel out of place turn out to be the most captivating. For example, "Early Winter," which just doesn't flow sandwiched between club burners like "Wind Up" and the jump-starty "Now That You Got It," is still one of the most haunting and hypnotic numbers after repeated listens.

Really the major downfall to Stefani's sophomore outing is that it never feels like an album. The cause of this could easily come from the fact that she's employed no less than five divergent producers throughout the album. Each of them brings a decidedly different flavor to the album, creating a veritable mixed bag. Regulars The Neptunes serve up some intriguing variations on their recognizable motifs, but also deliver some tepid variations of pop music's past. Akon's lone contribution is a welcome breath of fresh air and causes one to wonder why he didn't lace up some more tracks. Nellee Hooper, who helped spearhead the trip-hop movement of the late '90s, retreats into the '80s for some ballad slickness and electro bliss. Finally Tony Kanal is simply confounding, tossing off generic pop blandness one minute and interesting electro shocks the next.

What this all means in the end is that The Sweet Escape never really sounds like an album, but rather more like a loose collection of b-sides, rarities, greatest hits that never were or outtakes from Love. Angel. Music. Baby.. Taken as separate songs, each track herein can at times be giddy, magical, and filled with a sense of musicality that is drastically lacking from much of today's pop market. Taken as a whole, however, Stefani's latest comes off like little more than a brief sonic distraction, lacking any of the transitional flow from song to song that made her debut such an engaging listen from start to finish.

Definitely Download:
1. "Wind It Up"
2. "The Sweet Escape"
3. "Early Winter"
4. "Wonderful Life"