The Good, Bad & Ugly of Gwen Stefani

Last night I caught my first glimpse and listen of the solo Gwen Stefani project. The dancecentric tune “What Youre Waiting For” is the track and at first I hated it. From the electronic poppiness to the Tom Petty Alice In Wonderland wearing laced up crotch stretch pants video, I was annoyed. Then at midnight last night I caught it again on Fuse and began to bop around a little bit. Then this morning at 7:06 on M2 I caught it again and was addicted. Damn her and her gyrating Asian lovingness. I downloaded the song from iTunes before I left for work and listened to it 5 times before I got to the office. It’s energetic, kinetic, brash and shamelessly pop.

But this funky retro electronikkka made me think. When that horrid and last No Doubt album came out with “Hella Good” and all those other syth-pop disco tracks on it I felt betrayed by their true sound. It’s an experiment, fine. Next they hit us with one of the best cover songs ever done “It’s My Life” and I thought they were back on track. Tehn they take a “break” and Gwen talks about a solo album for like a year and finally the corn pops of her labor are here and it’s synth pop again.

Fine. If this is who she is and what she wants to do, fine but it’s a sharp contradiction to what No Doubt’s roots are and Gwen’s original anthem of “I’m Just A Girl” in which she was all about DYI Girl Power and kicking some system ass. No she’s more glam, bubble gum pop than Debbie Gibson and Britney Spears combined. She’s So-Cal Ghetto Fab, all decked out in couture and “street” gear with her perfectly styled hair and bright red lipstick rolling with her homies Eve and what-not so how are we not to feel betrayed by who she once was? Is the message she’s trying to send Generation Z “Sell Out, Go Glam, Marry Up, Wear Designer Duds with your perfect hair and success comes your way?” It’s only been a decade Gwen, how quickly you have fallen.