A lot of you are already familiar with No Doubt’s single, “Ex-Girlfriend”, but that’s the only song you’ll find here similar to their former style. Listening to Return Of Saturn, I have the feeling that Gwen Stefani is still holding a flame for ex-boyfriend, No Doubt bassist, Tony Kanal. Maybe she won’t admit it, but her words sure seem to.
“Simple Kind Of Life” is written by Stefani and proclaims “for a long time I was in love/ not only in love, I was obsessed/ with a friendship that no one else could touch.” Talk amongst yourselves, but this bitter loss has sparked a darling track.
“Why do the good girls always want the bad boys?” If I knew, I could figure out whether or not to invest in a leather jacket, but for now I can only listen to “Bathwater” and try to learn. “Magic’s In The Makeup” is an exploration into one’s soul from the inside out. Perhaps even more introspective is “Artificial Sweetener” as it drives on, “the return of Saturn/ assessing my life/ second guessing.”
“New” might feel familiar. It was featured on the GO! soundtrack and is a great single. It will have you jumping around in no time. The crash comes with the emotional “Suspension Without Suspense”. This track is beautiful; I’m beginning to believe that Stefani is really talented. She writes or co-writes every song.
This new album is much better than Tragic Kingdom. Surprised? I was. It doesn’t have the big radio hits, but it’s so much more soulful and heart wrenching. It will stick with you long after radio decides to move on to the next hot group. This is not a ska album, and that suits me just fine. By getting away from their roots, No Doubt proves they are more than just one trick ponies.
+ rae gun
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