[Album review] Gwen Stefani's solo album is catchy, but basic

Gwen Stefani

　“This Is What the Truth Feels Like”

　(Interscope Records)

　Gwen Stefani’s new solo album is fun and catchy: the hooks are cute and likable, the beats will make your head bop and her voice is calm and cool.

　But after listening to it, you’re on to the next.

　“This Is What the Truth Feels Like,” Stefani’s first solo album in 10 years, isn’t memorable or distinctive. It’s not that the songs are bad -- because they aren’t. But they aren’t good either. The 12 tracks are an OK batch of pop tunes that don’t reveal much about Stefani, the singer or person.

　Though the lyrical content of some of the songs is deep, the tracks don’t drip with emotion. Instead, the album sounds tailor-made for radio, and the songs lack in both originality and personality -- a thing that’s usually a specialty of Stefani‘s.

　For all the talk that the album delves into her personal life, it’s hard to tell. The content, even when it’s about heartbreak and ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, has a bubble-gum feel. It’s as if Stefani’s hiding behind the songs’ beat and hook, and her vocal tonality is on cruise control throughout -- whether the subject is heartache or happiness. (AP)

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