No Doubt - Rock Steady
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Free Music Notes for Rock Steady
Free Music Review: Hella Good sums it all up!
Hit: 5 Stars
No Doubt has made the first truly classic album of the 2000's with "Rock Steady". Not only are they unashamed (and why should they be?) of their obvious 80's influences, they wear them like great big badges of honor. Kicking things off after a short introduction is "Hella Good". The song doesn't try to be anything other than what it is: a big pulsating slice of sonic disco fun. You can't ask for more from a song. It's got a good beat, and yes, you can dance to it. Hella good, indeed. The song will be stuck in your head for weeks before it's even over.
Hot, hot hit "Hey Baby" continues the jam followed by future hit "Making Out". A few of No Doubt's patented Madness/ska influences remain on a few tracks but, first and foremost, this is a power pop dance record that's not for the faint at heart. This record is EXACTLY what this world needs right now to take its mind off of the depressing state of things.
Ric Ocasek comes out of his Cars' retirement garage to produce a few tracks. The results are exactly what you think No Doubt would sound like by way of The Cars. Prince proves that he is still somewhat capable of creating something worthwhile (that is, when he's got someone worthwhile to create with!) William Orbit (of Madonna "Ray Of Light" fame) lends his hand on a tune (the dazzling "Making Out"), but it's Nellee Hooper (who has produced Bjork, among others) that helps make this album rock, shine, and glow.
I can't help but think that No Doubt has been listening to, smartly, all of their Duran Duran records. The inside packaging of "Rock Steady" even recalls some of the inside packaging for Duran Duran's "The Wedding Album". Nick Rhodes (of Duran Duran) should produce some tracks for the next No Doubt album. The fabulosity of that pairing would be absolute genius.
My only complaint with "Rock Steady" is the somewhat uninspired cover art (especially after the grandeur of the David LaChapelle photo that graced "Return To Saturn".) It's almost as if they were left with no creativity at the end of the recording process. It's okay... Gwen, Adrian, Tony, and Tom can be forgiven. The cover art is okay.
The enhanced portion of the cd features the "Hey Baby" video, a "Rock Steady" screensaver, and some behind-the-scenes footage of the making of this album.
No Doubt's "Rock Steady": It's as if the 80's never ended! And that's a great, great thing!
Free Music Review: Great CD
Hit: 5 Stars
With 2001 offering such lackluster music overall, I was totally and pleasantly surprised by this one. No Doubt has become a pioneer for music in this decade. The mid 90's marked a movement in intimate personal expression, which was amazing at first (Alanis, Sheryl Crow, old Jewel) which peaked in 1997, and soon had gotten really old (hearing "I Don't Wanna Wait" by Paula Cole every 5 minutes, blech)... and thus the boyband/Britney phase was ushered in. Now that the whole image-oriented manufactured musician trend has (finally!) collapsed, the industry's left without direction. The new stuff in the style that sounded good in the mid 90's now sounds uninspired and self-indulgent, and No Doubt has unabashedly and brilliantly dropped the pretense of "being deep and using big words" and created Rock Steady. All of the songs are catchy, ambient, and happy/simple without seeming cheap or saccharine. Simplicity is beauty, lyrically, on Rock Steady. Ballads like "Running" manage to be amazingly poignant without dumping a whole thesaurus into them. "Hella Good" and "Making Out" are two of the most irresistibly danceable songs I've heard all year - a bit reminiscient of the Cardigan's "Erase/Rewind" for those who are familiar with them. "Don't Let Me Down" is a fantastic 80's revival, and "Waiting Room" with Prince has moments that makes you feel like you're whole room is being sprinkled with gold. The whole CD seems like an amalgam of a lot of places the music world has been since 1980 - and it's integrated in a way that celebrates it - makes it feel like the 80's and the millenium are one and the same, pulsating and radiantly alive.
For long time fans, the album is definitely a departure. As much as I loved Return of Saturn and older stuff, I think of this album as just adding a new chapter into the already impressive repertoire of songs they've made and I cheer them on for exploring a sound landscape that's both modern and retro. It may have been a risk for them, but No Doubt completely hit the spot with this one - simple, light, straightforward lyrics and songs that are just downright fun to put on.
Also, I'm sure this has been addressed elsewhere - but some of the mp3s floating around are just copies of the chorus repeating over and over. Probably some reviews down the line should be removed since the comments they make are about prank mp3s that have nothing to do with the album itself.
Free Music Review: Great CD
Hit: 5 Stars
With 2001 offering such lackluster music overall, I was totally and pleasantly surprised by this one. No Doubt has become a pioneer for music in this decade. The mid 90's marked a movement in intimate personal expression, which was amazing at first (Alanis, Sheryl Crow, old Jewel) which peaked in 1997, and soon had gotten really old (hearing "I Don't Wanna Wait" by Paula Cole every 5 minutes, blech)... and thus the boyband/Britney phase was ushered in. Now that the whole image-oriented manufactured musician trend has (finally!) collapsed, the industry's left without direction. The new stuff in the style that sounded good in the mid 90's now sounds uninspired and self-indulgent, and No Doubt has unabashedly and brilliantly dropped the pretense of "being deep and using big words" and created Rock Steady. All of the songs are catchy, ambient, and happy/simple without seeming cheap or saccharine. Simplicity is beauty, lyrically, on Rock Steady. Ballads like "Running" manage to be amazingly poignant without dumping a whole thesaurus into them. "Hella Good" and "Making Out" are two of the most irresistibly danceable songs I've heard all year - a bit reminiscient of the Cardigan's "Erase/Rewind" for those who are familiar with them. "Don't Let Me Down" is a fantastic 80's revival, and "Waiting Room" with Prince has moments that makes you feel like you're whole room is being sprinkled with gold. The whole CD seems like an amalgam of a lot of places the music world has been since 1980 - and it's integrated in a way that celebrates it - makes it feel like the 80's and the millenium are one and the same, pulsating and radiantly alive.
For long time fans, the album is definitely a departure. As much as I loved Return of Saturn and older stuff, I think of this album as just adding a new chapter into the already impressive repertoire of songs they've made and I cheer them on for exploring a sound landscape that's both modern and retro. It may have been a risk for them, but No Doubt completely hit the spot with this one - simple, light, straightforward lyrics and songs that are just downright fun to put on.
Also, I'm sure this has been addressed elsewhere - but some of the mp3s floating around are just copies of the chorus repeating over and over. Probably some reviews down the line should be removed since the comments they make are about prank mp3s that have nothing to do with the album itself.
Free Music Review: My Rock Steady Rant
Hit: 5 Stars
No Doubt is my all-time favorite band, and has been for awhile now. My favorite CD is Tragic Kingdom. I picked up Rock Steady today, a little bit iffy on how it was going to sound. I liked Hey Baby, but not as much as their older stuff. I was blown away by the CD. I loved it. It was like 80sdiscorockpoptechnotrancereggaeskadancehall. Heh. Anyways, it was a big risk for No Doubt to add all of this new flavor into their sound but I think it turned out great. I know all of the die-hard old school No Doubt fans are probably (...) off. To be honest, I was a little at first. I mean, their old stuff...her words are so powerful and the sound was something I don't think anyone else had. But listen...before Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt had been a band for 9 years doing ska-type music. And how many years ago did Tragic Kingdom come out? 1995...so um...6..almost 7 years or so. Gwen was fifteen when she
started, she's now 32. Your music tastes change. The band has evolved and each album you can hear the change. This is another evolution of No Doubt. You can say "Oh, it's pop music...blah blah...". But I don't think the average pop album has what Rock Steady has. This is the exact same thing people said when the new Garbage album came out. Beautifulgarbage, as it is titled, is a wonderful CD. Sure, they aren't as hard or loud as in the past but it is still a great CD. I think No Doubt has gone though the same thing. If you compare the lyrics between Tragic Kingdom and Rock Steady, the lyrics have no less depth, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart without hearing the song. When people say that No Doubt has sold out, I look at it as taking a big risk. Hello? They had already sold over 10 million copies of Tragic Kingdom alone...they are already a "hit" band. They wanted to experiment with some new sounds, and I applaud them for it.
I think Tragic Kingdom is still my favorite ND CD (I have all 5 of their albums), but I would have to go with Rock Steady as my second favorite. I mean...how boring would it be if they repeated almost the same type of song over and over from album to album? You've got to change somewhere to keep people interested in you. I love this new CD and I urge everyone who is mad that they've changed their style a bit to re-listen to it. It really is a great CD. I think my favorite track right now is Hella Good. Maybe I'll change my mind, I don't know.
Free Music Review: No Doubt Rock Steady
Hit: 5 Stars
I remember when No Doubt's first CD, Tragic Kingdom came out. My friend had it on a cassette tape. I thought it was so cool. When their second CD came out, Return of Saturn, I was intrigued by the sullen lyrics and the rock sound. Now the third album is out, Rock Steady.Rock Steady is a steady album. I like each song, for different reasons.
1. Rock Steady (Intro)
This is just a short intro.
2. Hella Good
This is a great dance song. Something they would play in a club. Sure, it's repetitive with the lyrics, but it's really catchy and has a fun beat.
4/5
3. Hey Baby
I think this song is overplayed on the radio, and you probably do too. But it's a really good song, and I think I would like it more if it wasn't overplayed. I give it a 4/5 because it's a very good song, even though I am tired of it.
4/5
3. Making Out
This is a great song! I love the lyrics. I listen to this song a lot.
5/5
4. Underneath It All
You've probably heard this on the radio. It's got a slower tune than the other songs, but it's still great and will most likely get stuck in your head.
4/5
5. Detective
This is a cool, very different and unique song. It's fun, has fun lyrics and beat. It's good! "Peek in, sneak about, I'm gonna snoop and call you out. I caught you, your hands are red. Now I'm your brokenhearted de-tec-tive."
4/5
5. Don't Let Me Down
The song starts off a little weird, but once I hear the chorus I realize, "Oh yeah! This is the song I love!"
3/5
6. Start the Fire
This is also very unusual, but so fun! I give it 3/5 because I don't think it's for everyone.
3/5
7. Running
This song is okay. It's a good track, but not the best.
3/5
8. In My Head
This is a great song! I love it!
5/5
9. Platinum Blonde Life
I love this song also. Great, great song!
5/5
10. Waiting Room
Very different, but cool.
3/5
11. Rock Steady
Very repetitive, but good. I will turn it off before getting through it because it feels like it goes on for too long.
3/5
Some might No Doubt fans might be surprised at No Doubt's new pop-rock style of music. But it's a fabulous CD that I have listened to over and over, with great tracks. That's rare; to find a CD with all good tracks.
Enjoy!