Love.Angel.Music.Baby. [Import, Limited Edition]

Gwen Stefani | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 30, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Limited Edition
• Label: Universal
• ASIN: B000CBNZLI
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,769 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. What You Waiting For?

2. Rich Girl

3. Hollaback Girl

4. Cool

5. Bubble Pop Electric

6. Luxurious

7. Harajuku Girls

8. Crash

9. The Real Thing

10. Serious

11. Danger Zone

12. Long Way to Go

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What you waiting for?, November 26, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (Deluxe) (Audio CD)

Platinum blonde frontwoman Gwen Stefani is best known for the ska-pop sound in her band No Doubt. But for her solo debut, "Love Angel Music Baby," Stefani goes for a totally different sound -- bubblegummy eighties dancepop, a clubby, colorful, glitzy whirl full of Harajuku girls.

"What You Waiting For?" is the strongest single from here, where Stefani ticks off the seconds before launching into a danceable, self-addressed lecture: "Life is short/you're capable.../what you waiting for?" Stefani urges herself to "take a chance" while "you're still a super-hot female," all against her longings to get more fans in Japan.

"Harajuku Girls" is a kitschy ode to Japanese fashionistas (they get mentioned several times over the album), while the sugary "Bubble Pop Electric" with Andre 3000 is a goofy, sugary pop song. A few of the songs misfire, like interracial dating song "Long Way To Go," which becomes way too self-important. But mostly they revel in the sound of early Madonna tunes, with a new wave twist.

The deluxe edition isn't too different from the regular CD, and is intended for die-hard Stefani fans rather than someone giving her music a spin for the first time. Don't expect a DVD or anything so major. It has a little hardcover booklet, quite polished and cute, as well as a sort of CD carrying case.

"Love Angel Music Baby" won't surprise anybody -- it's all in the style of the first single. It's sleek. It's sexy. It's a guilty pleasure, and it rarely pretends to be anything else. Basically it's not for anyone looking for high-quality music, but it's a fun diversion when you are dancing around your living room.

Stefani's voice isn't technically the best, but she can range from wispy to a throaty purr to a squeal. And her vocals get a pretty good workout here. The musical styles are more electronic than her previous work with No Doubt, taking on a more new wave sound. Think 21st-century Blondie, with a bit of funk thrown in.

The lyrics are simplistic in a dancefloor kind of way. They're meant to sound fun to the synth beats, not be deep -- "born to blossom/bloom to perish" are perhaps the strongest lines, as Stefani examines her own fragile popularity. Her sole effort at depth, "Long Way To Go" gets a bit too hamhanded. And it's Martin Luther King Jr., sweetie. Martin Luther was the guy who P.O.ed the Pope and formed the Lutheran church.

Gwen Stefani makes a fun guilty pleasure in "Love Angel Music Baby." It has light-as-air lyrics and poppy music, but it's worth a spin if you want something to dance to.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Woohoo!, November 23, 2004

By 

Benjamin Norman "Trance Pants" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (Deluxe) (Audio CD)

First, I would like to respond to the review by M. Goss. (scroll down or check the next page). If you are buying Gwen Stefani's album, expecting to hear No Doubt, then you are certifiably idiotic. That is the whole POINT of a solo album, to do something NEW, something DIFFERENT.

Which Gwen does with class, style, and smarts to spare. This album is very sleek, sort of like an obsidian shard. It's edgy, it's sharp, but it's pleasing to experience. She gets into her sex on this album, and to anyone not used to the dirty side of Gwen's mouth...well...get used to it. She curses, she groans, she purrs...and most importantly, she BEGS for it. It's insane.

The music accomplished just what she intended. It is all very 80's, from the sock hop on acid "Bubble Pop Electric", to the Tony Kanal produced ode to hospital raunch, "Serious".

This album is a no brainer as it is, but with the presentation, it surpasses any Limited Edition released this year. Easy.

Most limited editions give you a poster, maybe some extra tracks, but this one? It gives you a true gift. Not only do you get a hardback booklet (which contains the lyrics, and the CD), but you get a small CD wallet designed by Gwen Stefani, from her clothing line named L.A.M.B. She plugs the brand in a couple of her songs, so listen out for those as well.

Her collaborations on this disc, as well, are stellar. Eve makes a glorious Gwen-style featuring on "Rich Girl" (one of the cutest songs on the disc) and Andre 3000 shines on "Long Way To Go". The latter track is a great song telling us how stupid it is that two people in love can't be accepted if they are of different skin colors. The song is true, right on target. These days, "Jungle Fever" just isn't accepted.

Keep on preachin, Gwen...you've got the stuff.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deluxe CD Review, November 23, 2004

By 

Michelle "Michelle" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (Deluxe) (Audio CD)

I bought the Deluxe CD today without knowing much information about it, so if anyone else is in the same situation I figured I'd let you know just what's so "Deluxe" about it.

Opposed to coming in a standard CD Jewel case, it comes in a hard-cover blue book style case (With gold foil lettering spelling out her name and the album title as well as a symbol in the corner with japanese lettering around it. That flips open with the CD on the left side and the book attached to the right side, Inside the book is a golden ribbon type thing (attached). That whole case slides inside of a thin cardboard case which has the same image as the standard CD (Much like the slipcase on certain DVDs).

In addition to that, it comes with a CD-Wallet case, The wallet is a light brownish color with various designs on it (And the Love Angel Music Baby logo on it). A red ribbon ties it together with a little metal lamb pendant attached to the middle (All together it looks like a birthday present)

Once you open it (It seals together with a velcro strip) it folds out into 3 sections. The left and middle section each have a real cool 'lambskin' print on them, the right section has the CD Sleeves (6 total), Once you flip past all 6, there is a little pocket to hold whatever you may have (Not sure what exactly). Overall, a real nice package, only downsides to it all being that its a bit of a pain to deal with the CD Wallet (Since you need to "tie" and "untie" the ribbon as well as strap/unstrap the velcro to open it, and inside it only holds 6 CD's.

Onto the CD Itself.

I really liked:

Track 1) What you waiting for

Track 2) Rich Girl

Track 3) Holla Back Girl

Track 4) Cool

Track 5) Bubble Pop Electric

Track 8) Crash

Track 11) Danger Zone

Also Liked:

Track 7) Harajuku girls

Track 9) The Real Thing

Track 12) Long Way to Go

I was a big fan of No Doubt since the early days, and I thought this was a real good CD (I rated it 5, but it's more of a 4.5 or so, I just didnt want to rate it a 4 when it deserved more).

This CD really isnt like a typical No Doubt CD though, It has one or two no-doubt's "slower" type of music on it, but overall its a pretty fast paced techno'ish CD.

Which one to buy though?

Most stores are selling the original CD for $8.99 and the special edition for $24.99. If you're a big fan, or a collector like myself, the Deluze set is nice (I just really wish it included a DVD Single of her new video), if you're not (or cant spare the extra $15), its not much you're missing out on (New CD packaging and a CD Wallet). :)