Gwen Stefani Giving Dirty Dancers An Earful On Solo LP
Having worked with Outkast, Missy Elliott, the Neptunes, Linda Perry, Rancid's Tim Armstrong and the Matrix, Gwen Stefani seems hardly restricted on her long-awaited solo album. One track, however, may warrant a PG rating.

"Parental Advisory" takes a stab at dancers with moves better suited for the strip clubs than the dance clubs, according to the track's producer, Rich Harrison.

"It's kind of a tongue-in-cheek record," said the beat-making mastermind best known for writing and producing Beyoncé's smash "Crazy in Love." "It's about somebody who dances in a really suggestive way. Like, 'I need supervision when I'm around you!'

"In her lyrics, Gwen painted the scene really well," he continued. "She told me, 'I would never be crazy over some guy who danced suggestively. That's so corny. But let's write a song about people who would.' She came up with the concept, and I put gas on the fire."

Harrison describes the track as having an early '80s influence, though it may seem strange that after scoring big with a song sampling the Chi-Lites' blaring horns he left other people's music off "Parental Advisory," even if it doesn't sound like it.

"It's very Club Nouveau-ish or Deborah Harry," he said. "A lot of synthesizers and big drums. There are no samples, but it feels like a sample ... of Club Nouveau."

Stefani's album, reportedly titled What You Waiting For?, also finds her working with noted R&B and dance producers Nellee Hooper and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (see "Gwen Stefani Warns, 'Watch Out' For Solo LP, Summer Single"). It continues along the more beat-centric path of No Doubt's most recent album, Rock Steady, and according to Harrison, Stefani just might be the last person to realize how much cred she possesses.

"She's got street cred from doing that Eve record ['Let Me Blow Ya Mind']," Harrison said. "I know thugs at home who be like, 'Yo, that Gwen Stefani ... Shorty's a'ight.' And when I told her that, she didn't believe me. My engineer had to confirm it. The fact that she came over to this side of music and did something with Eve, and it was hot and she sounded great and looked good, just comes across really well. She's from Anaheim, so it was funny when she was in the studio, she was all like, 'West Side Anaheim, fool!' And she says that on the record."

A release date has yet to be set for the album, and Harrison said he'll get together for another collaboration once Stefani wraps up No Doubt's tour with Blink-182 at the end of June (see "No Doubt, Blink-182 Team Up For Summer Tour").

Harrison won't exactly be twiddling his thumbs until then — his plate is overflowing with Amerie's second album — for which Lil Jon has lent a track — and a commitment to Jennifer Lopez. Next month he'll head to London to work on the upcoming album by '80s icons Duran Duran, who contacted him bearing a heap of compliments for "Crazy in Love."

"One of the nice things [Duran Duran] said about 'Crazy in Love' is that the energy kept building; it was always exciting throughout the whole record," Harrison said. " 'Crazy in Love' is what I call an energy record. It doesn't have a lot of melody. It just hits you over the head. It's possible to insert that type of energy into any genre of music, if you know how to tweak it. So I actually have something that, sonically, is a little more in tune with what they do, with the instruments that they like to use, but with that same 'Crazy in Love' energy."


—Joe D'Angelo

When i grow up i wanna be Gwen Stefani.. or Marry her lol

It looks like she's pulling out all the stops,working with Missy,Jam and Lewis,Outkast,The Neptunes,Linda Perry,even The Matrix.Sounds like it could be really eclectic.I wonder what diehard No Doubt fans will think of her new direction?