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Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

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Love Angel Music Baby Review

No Doubt has been one of the best ska bands of the past decade and has provided many songs for everyone to enjoy. My personal fave is "ex-Girlfriend". The popularity of its lead singer Gwen Stefani has since grown and Gwen has decided to make a new album without her band, though some songs on this CD (named after her new clothing line) are collaborations with her former bandmates. Led by the hot single "What You Waiting For", Gwen provides us with an eclectic mix of songs on her debut solo CD, showcasing her fascination with Harujuku girls and her own insecurity with making a solo album and how it will be recieived.

Track List
1) What You Waiting For- This is definitely something I have never heard before. Gwen's voice is all over the place with this song and it makes the song so good. This is the first single and it's a great song. This is an excellent song to dance around to (as well as sing to, which I have done several times today, lol.) 5/5

2) Rich Girl (featuring Eve)- Another collaboration with Eve that fails to match or even surpass their previous collaboration on that song "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", but it is still a good song nonetheless. 4/5

3) Hollaback Girl- Although a bit repetitive, this is still a great song. Backed with a stomping sound and trumpets, this song is good, but still could be better. But it is still a fun track. 4/5

4) Cool- A synth filled track, this song talks about a breakup, but puts a positive spin on things by being friends with the person you broke up with (*coughTonyandGwencough* lol). This is a perfect example of Gwen's 80s influences on this CD. 5/5

5) Bubble Pop Electric (featuring Johnny Vulture aka Andre 3000) - Produced by Johnny Vulture (who is also featured in the song), this is another danceable track. Even though it has a weird title, this is a really good song. I love this song! It does have a weird beat. When I was listening to this CD for the first time and I saw that title, I was like "I can only imagine what this song sounds like." 5/5

6) Luxurious- With a more R&B feel, this song is kind of mid tempo and isn't a really good song. It has pretty, beautiful music but the lyrics aren't good enough. It samples a piece from Notorious B.I.G's "Big Poppa". 3/5

7) Harujuku Girls- This song defines Gwen's fascination with the Harujuku girls and has an Oriental feel to it in the beginning. With occasional Japanese words thrown in, this is a good song with a catchy chorus. This is the longest song on this album, coming close to 5 minutes. 5/5

8) Crash- This is a REALLY good song! I love this song, and it sounds a lot like the song "Push It Real Hard" (I think it's called that...) by Salt N Pepa. It talks about driving, but the lyrics could definitely mean something else. Produced by Tony Kanal. 5/5

9) The Real Thing- Starting off slow like a ballad, it moves into mid tempo territory. The lyrics in this song are meaningful and are very beautiful. This song is very mellow and soothing. 5/5

10) Serious- Beginning with string instruments playing, it goes straight into an electronic beat. Written by Gwen and Tony, this song does sound like an 80s song done by Kylie Minogue that kind of combines her early career and her indie period. This is a good song, but not good enough. 3/5

11) Danger Zone- With an electro bass sound, this is one of my favorite songs. It does get a bit repetitive, but it is still a good track. 4/5

12) Long Way to Go (featuring Andre 3000)- This song deals with interracial dating and features clips from Martin Luther King Jr's famous speech. The clips are weird just because they are spliced with the beats and it sounds weird. With clever poetic lyrics, this song is sure to provoke some thought on this issue. 5/5

Despite her constant references to her new clothing line, this is still a good album to get. I would suggest getting it at Target because it's only $10 there. The booklet that comes with the CD contains the lyrics to each song, which I always like to have when I buy a CD. There is also a deluxe edition of the CD that costs anywhere from $25 to $35 that contains a "Fabric wrapped, gold embossed, hardcore digipak - Book style layout with gold ribbon bookmark - Plus a custom CD case designed by Gwen (taken from amazon.com)" So go out and buy it!

Well...it's a bit hard to start this review since this recording is so diverse and totally all over the place! I wasn't expecting very much from this CD, but I was pleasantly surprised! She weaves 70s, 80s, 90s, dance, hip-hop, electronica and R&B into a very unique package. I'm not sure if L.A.M.B. will be a classic, but it deserves recognition for its brazen originality.

It starts out with the driving "What You Waiting For?" - a great tune, that doesn't get boring, as some reviewers have noted. Then the hit "Rich Girl", which I didn't really at first listen, but I'm hooked now. "Hollaback Girl" is reminiscent of "Mickey", by Toni Basil. Then, my favorite!, "Bubble Pop Electric" takes you on a wild ride. I hit the replay button more than once on this song. "Luxurious" is totally laid back and full of soul. The balance of the CD continues on its signature course of individuality.

Bottom line: The strength of this album is its originality. Consequently, the weakness of this album is its originality. I'm glad I own this CD. I will pop it from time to time when I want to hear something that is not overproduced and transparent. Nice debut Gwen - you've got a hit!

Just not the Gwen I have always known and loved....a real turn off.
I ran out and bought this the minute it was released just knowing that I would love anything from Gwen. Boy was I wrong...I won't try to convince you one way or the other...I see some good reviews here so apparently some must like it. Just check this album out before you spend your money. Not the same girl who used to rock out with Bradley back in OC.

One - this album is a piece of crap.

Two - Rich Girl is a cover of a reggae/pop cover of the Fiddler on the Roof song. It's just annoying me because people are saying 'why would she cover Fiddler on the roof?" and she didn't. She covered a bad reggae cover of fiddler on the roof. (which, actually, is even worse)
"if i was a rich girl, yeah i'd have all the money in the world, if i was a wealthy giiiirl". Look it up. Maybe you guys are too young to rememeber it. *shrugs* early 90's bad reggae.

And seriously, rapping? Honey if it didn't work for Blondie what the hell makes you think it would work for you? You're not even in her league and even she couldn't pull it off. I'd say go beg No Doubt to take her back and make another album, but that'd be horrid too. Never been a fan. I prefer real ska.

This whole album is an ad for her clothing line. Pathetic.

If only there was a choice for 0 stars...

I would like to say that this girl is amazing on her own, but I can't. This cd is full of childish lyrics. The likes of which are more infantile than teen singers like avril levigne or hillary duff. It makes me wonder how so many people can just shake their head in disappointment at her lyrics and then shrug their shoulders and say "oh well, I LOVE it anyway." I would have hoped for more out of a matured woman and icon for the masses. What are you waiting for, Gwen? GROW UP. But as many of reviewers have said, "But it's about the music, right?"

With the music in mind, it is like she was a kid in the candy store. She overwhelmed herself with too many interests in various genres. I find her songs to sound weak in comparison to any of the ones they reflect. We all know that The Isley Brothers' song "Between the Sheets" holds it's on as being a great R&B beat that has been reused many a time. Gwen's lyrics and style of singing made me want to cry out in pain when juxtaposed with the chill beat. The same goes with her bastardization of New Order. I think my ears were literally bleeding. Her song "Crash" mimics that of 80's girl rappers, but how can she compare? Le Tigre did it so well. Fanny Pack is doing it well now. Even Peaches sounds like butter. Although this is her first solo album, I don't buy it as strong or groundbreaking. When Bjork split from the Sugarcubes and made her first album, "Debut," she quickly and solidly defined her style. From there she was able to evolve within her music over the years. Unfortunately, Gwen is still lost down the rabbit hole when it comes to finding her individual musical talent.

I love Gwen Stefani, I loved No Doubt, but if you ask me - Gwen's lyrics have been headed downhill since the peak with Tragic Kingdom.

I'll just make this short and quote the song "Hollaback Girl" for you:

"oooh, this my sh*t, this my sh*t...let me hear you say this sh*t is bananas: b-a-n-a-n-a-s. again this sh*t is bananas: b-a-n-a-n-a-s."

I kid you not.

These songs have a definite lack of emotion and personality. I miss the days when music was more than just a backbeat with rediculous lyrics. We all know she has it in her to be creative and make beautiful music, and this just isn't it.

Although I must say I am am a huge No Doubt and Gwen Stephani fan, I have to admit I was a little confused with Gwen's solo album. It seems totally off kilter with the Gwen I'm used to. The whole album is pretty much a big promotion for her new clothing line L.A.M.B. Some of the songs are pretty cool, even though just about all of them mention something about harajuku girls or L.A.M.B. I suppose a change of style is ok, so I'm still a fan of Gwen. I just wish that it didn't seem as though this album was telling everyone how cool it is to be wealthy and be able to afford all of these fancy schmancy things. What ever happened to the Gwen who made her own tank tops and used a bedazzler to stud her bra straps with rhinestones? That was a bigger pick me up for all the fans who are in there teens and/or twenties on a limited budget! L.A.M.B is as expensive as Juicy Couture! Grrrr wicked style!

First off, let me say that I am a Gwen Stefani and No Doubt fan. All the bigger the letdown with this album. It's not terrible...it's well put together, slick, danceable and slightly addicting in the way that a bag of Skittles is addicting. But it also leaves me feeling the way I feel after eating a bag of Skittles; jittery, unfufilled, and kind of diabetic.

While I am not by any stetch of the imagination a fashionista, I do enjoy Gwen's unique look and understand how important image is in her business. But must the entire album be devoted to repetitions of Harajuku girls and their "wicked style"? Idea overkilled.

The only tracks on this disc that seem to have any substance at all are "What Are You Waiting For" and "We've Got A Long Way To Go". Sandwiched in between these two graham crackers is the rest of the marshmellowy, chocolaty stickiness. I don't have anything against just having fun, and I don't want or expect social commentary with every song, but if I wanted that after-candy empty effect I would have bought an album by Jessica or Brittany. I didn't expect it from Gwen and hence I am disappointed. Next time Gwen a little less LAMB and a little more LION please!

I really love Gwen's work with No Doubt, but solo albums tend to be hit or miss. Gwen's done a great job of hooking up with Today's Top Producers, but this doesn't always bode well for her. Somehow she comes across like too much of a fan copying other people's musical styles. I was expecting something a little more unique because Gwen was always so original with No Doubt.

I think Gwen's album is okay ear candy for a little while. The songs are catchy and sometimes infectious. If you don't take the whole thing seriously you might even like it. But if you want substance I doubt this album's what you are really looking for. Standout tracks are What You Waiting For, Long Way To Go and The Real Thing. Eve's rap in Rich Girl sounded dancehallish and cool, but Eve's words and Gwen's lyrics were so wack. The rest of the songs on Love Angel Music Baby suck in my opinion.

Gwen talks too much about Harajuku girls and objectifies them in a demeaning light. Maybe she doesn't mean to do this, but when I watch her performances, videos and interviews with these Harajuku Girls in the background like ornaments and mimes, I cannot help but notice this.

Sometimes I cannot understand Gwen's lyrics in her songs because they are difficult to hear in the midst of the noise in the background. I hear a bunch of stuff going on and it gets annoying and distracting. I've had to go online to get the lyrics to her CD. When I do understand what she is saying in her music, I am not impressed with what she is talking about. I think her references to drug use are so unnecessary. I know this is supposed to be a fun album, but saying nonsensical and vulgar stuff to make yourself appear relevant and cool is not the prerequisite in order to make fun music.

I also don't like how Gwen starts to pose like she is gangsta by cussing, pseudo rapping and singing about immature stuff you only hear from young hip hoppers and some R&B singers. Gwen's like 35 and she seems to have arrested development on this disc. Either she is grossly immature or she's turned into a loony.

I really like Gwen's takes on New Wave because I love 80's music myself. There were some songs that were TOO New Wavish because they sound like they were ripped from any album back then. There's a difference between being inspired and influenced by a certain sound and copying that kind of music to the point where it sounds like you are doing karaoke.

I really disliked how Gwen's album turned into a blatant and tacky ad for her fashion line. The music industry has become so commercial it's nauseating. Wherever you are, you are being shoved the latest hot item and now we gotta put up with even more advertising on CD's? Whatever happened to listening to music to unwind and forget about everything?

Love Angel Music Baby really could have been great album but Gwen's vanity, obsession with Harajuku girls, fear of taking musical risks, lack of creative control, and originality, fixation with material things and immaturity really spoiled L.A.M.B.

I've been a fan of Gwen Stefani's and No Doubt's for some time. I have a weakness for women whose voices sound sort of sweet and innocent but who are willing to sing strong lyrics with a bit of an edge to them. Juliana Hatfield (of solo and Blake Babies fame) is another such artist. Thus, when I saw that "Love.Angel.Music.Baby." had come out, I was immediately interested in it. After listening to it a few times, I've come to a couple of conclusions about it.

The first conclusion I get from this album is that I'm clearly not its intended audience. Far too many of the songs sound cheesy, pedestrian, and just too airheaded for my taste. I expected more from Gwen than she delivered here. I kept looking for the good lyrics, the trademark Gwen Stefani vocal sounds, and more substance. It's just not there. If I had to describe the album in a single phrase, that phrase would be "Self-indulgent, empty, disco-pop crap with a touch of hip-hop."

My second conclusion from listening to this album is that as successful and respected as Gwen Stefani is, she's not happy with herself as an artist and perhaps as a person. That's evident from her comments in several of the tracks about how the young Japanese girls in Harajuku are so much more stylish, so much cooler, and seemingly "better" than Gwen. It's evident from the fact that most of these tracks have a "faux hip-hop" sound to them, like the work she's done to this point in her career isn't as interesting or cool as a sort of electronic, disco-oriented, pop sound.

Here's a quick examination of the tracks on the album...

1. What You Waiting For?

Starts off sounding like a soft ballad in front of a live audience, then hops full force into an energetic pop song with some techno sounds to it. It's clear from this track, Rich Girl, and Harajuku Girls that Gwen is smitten with Japanese girls' sense of style and fashion.

2. Rich Girl

I first heard this song in an episode of Red Dwarf, the British sci-fi comedy, being sung by Rimmer when he thought he was about to become a wealthy man back on Earth. While Rimmer sang only a small part of it, I recognized it here. Gwen pulls this song off well. It's entertaining and fun to listen to, though there isn't a lot of depth to the lyrics. (That's not really a surprise given the album's "pop" audience.) Again, Stefani mentions Harajuku girls in the song.

3. Hollaback Girl

Since I couldn't decide what the heck a "Hollaback Girl" was, I decided to do a few web searches. It seems I'm not the only one who wonders. There appear to be three likely definitions for this phrase: (1) It's a woman who prefers to get in a fist fight when she's insulted, rather than "hollering back" at her attacker. (2) It's a woman who, like a cheerleader, hollers in the background of a loud scene and wants to be more visible. (3) It's a word Stefani made up for the song and the album, just to sound cool. Personally, aside from the catchy refrain, this song is pretty much stupid and pointless. If I need to be more clear, I really don't like this song... (Update 10/05/2005: I guess I must be alone in this opinion, since the song has apparently become the #1 most legally downloaded song, with 1 millions downloads. Great... This'll convince Gwen to do more crappy songs like this.)

4. Cool

This is the first song on the album that I really enjoyed. The lyrics are good, the instrumentals don't include weird buzzes, hip-hop vocals, or anything else that detracts from it. It's definitely one of Gwen's better songs.

5. Bubble Pop Electric

If I had to guess, this song is supposed to sound like something that would be a hit on the Japanase Anime fan circuit. The song title sounds like some kind of anime movie. The lyrics focus on Gwen having intercourse in the back seat of a car. I can't say that I'm overly impressed with it. It's not as bad as Hollaback Girl, but it's pretty lame.

6. Luxurious

The gist of this one is that Gwen and her lover have accumulated lots of wealth and now they can just spend their time together in luxury. I could do without the hip-hop sounding parts of this song, but overall it's pretty decent.

7. Harajuku Girls

I guess the album was building up to this song. Of 6 previous songs, Gwen's gone out of her way to mention "Harajuku Girls" in at least 3 of them and talked about Japan in another. Instrumentally, I like it fine. It's pleasant enough to listen to and is slightly catchy. Lyrically, I'm not too impressed, since it's basically Gwen's love letter to a fashionable district in Japan. Her vocals are dynamic and fun through this one, making it clear that she believes what she's singing about. But being a guy, a song about Japanese fashions doesn't impress me. Yawn!

8. Crash

Just when I was beginning to think that Gwen couldn't write a song that didn't gush about Harajuku girls, I found Crash. It's clearly "dance music" and has a definite "bubblegum pop" sound to it. This one kind of sounds like she's a fan of auto racing. Instrumentally, lyrically, and vocally, it's typical pop stuff. I'm afraid this one is another yawn-inducer to me.

9. The Real Thing

This one reminds me a lot of Madonna's stuff from the late 1980's and early 1990's. The gist of it is that Gwen's found "the real thing" romantically and wants to keep it. Lyrically, it's another of the stronger songs on the album. Vocally, it delivers more of the Gwen Stefani that I enjoy listening to. Instrumentally it's not especially powerful or memorable. Overall it's a pleasant song to listen to but not something you're likely to catch yourself singing later on. It's more like something you'd play while taking a long drive or doing something around the house.

10. Serious

Similar to the last song, this one is about Gwen finding herself in a "serious" romantic situation, and "I know it (sic) gonna need your medicine". This sounds like 80's or 90's dance club music, even including some of the cheesy organ sounds. The lyrics are pretty mainstream and uninspired. Gwen's vocals are pretty mainstream on this one, too. I suppose if you enjoy dancing this could be a great song, but I don't, so for me it's pretty mediocre and uninteresting.

11. Danger Zone

This one sounds very little like Gwen Stefani to me. It's more like some Japanese pop group or something more run-of-the-mill Top 40-ish. In places, she sounds like Madonna. Still, I actually like this track and would rank it as one of the better ones on the album.

12. Long Way To Go

This has a pop-ish Motown-ish sound to it. I can't say that I like it, mostly because of the lyrics, which have very weird lines like "...a young Martin Luther, upgrade computer" which make no sense.

As I said at the outset, I don't think I'm the intended audience for this album. There appear to be a couple of audiences. One is the teenage set who doesn't care of their songs are devoid of any real substance as long as they sound like something you can dance to. If that's your taste, you'll love this album. The other audience, and I'm guessing the main one, is the population of Harajuku, Japan. I say that because Stefani is kissing up to them in about half the tracks on the album, and adding a sound to her music that strikes me like what I'd expect to be popular in a Japanese disco or on a Japanese Top 40 station (though having not been to Japan this is just a guess). I suspect she's trying to get herself "in" with the "Harajuku Girls" so that she can be one of them on her next tour there.

Since I'm neither of the intended audiences for this album, I just don't like it that well. I enjoyed 2-3 of the songs, but that means I didn't enjoy 9-10 of them. That means about 80% of the album pretty much sucks as far as I'm concerned. On the 1-10 scale, it gets about 4 from me, mostly because of the couple of good tracks and the fact that I genuinely like Stefani's voice. If you took those good songs off the album, the rest of it would get about a 1-2 out of 10.