[.ca] Return Of Saturn

From Amazon.com:
After No Doubt sold more than 10 million copies of Tragic Kingdom, riding that wave of success without toppling over must have been a daunting mission. No sweat for No Doubt. The band toiled as national unknowns with a loyal local following for a decade before that album's release, and during that time the band members were learning how to be better songwriters and musicians. The follow-up, Return of Saturn, glides along that continuum of songcraft perfection. The band presents a cleaner, less apologist representation of their influences. They pull off some of the more difficult maneuvers of pure reggae, ground-pounding ska, and Cars-esque New Wave. Gwen Stefani, the fearless Orange County princess, belts a powerful pout, her Mae West-meets-Siouxsie Sioux vocal bravado the bungee cord that springs in between the band's retro tendencies and SoCal pop-punk attitude. It seems believable that she could stamp her foot and always get her way, but her self-deprecating confessions evade brattiness. Songs like "Bathwater" and "Ex-Girlfriend" reveal the singer's vulnerability to being hurt or dumped on, and the band's sense of humor and exploration (albeit firmly controlled) matches the songs' sentiments. This group is growing out and tightening up, and while the rest of the ska-punk surfer-dude bands do nothing more than repeat history, No Doubt is creating it. --Beth Massa

amazing followup:
I liked No Doubt during Tragic Kingdom but didn't really jump on the bandwagon and liked them cause everyone seemed to though I could tolerate them. Once the songs from Return of Saturn were released, I began to respect them as artists because it seemed to me that they had expanded creatively, and even furthermore on Rock Steady. The best song on here in my opinion is Bathwater though I like them all to an equal degree. This album is much better than Tragic Kingdom too though it was their biggest album. Every artist who does a follow up to their biggest album always works twice as hard and musically it pays off, Return of Saturn is a great example of this

Worthwhile music - I'd recommend giving it a listen.:
I must confess, I'd never been familiar with No Doubt as a band before hearing Return of Saturn. I'd only heard some of their singles (I'm Just a Girl, Don't Speak, Hey Baby, Underneath it all, etc.) I also stumbled upon "Comforting Lie" and was blown away. Wow! That song alone is amazing - the heightened beat, drums, and Gwen's voice all come together perfectly. So I bought Return of Saturn just to hear the rest of the album. I wasn't sure what to expect. By the time I was done the CD I was satisfied. One thing No Doubt does best is create catchy melodies; but changes things up a bit. "Ex-Girlfriend" for example, is a great song you want to get up and dance to. On the other hand, a "Simple Kind of Life" is more relaxing; whereas "Six Feet Underground" recalls a more retro (maybe 80s) feel to it and "Home Now" has a very sweet nostalgic feel about it. Most of the songs have their own unique feel to them, making each one a nice surprise. This is wonderful because if I find a song is predictable, it gets disappointing. Lyrical content is quite surprising as well. This is considering that some of the songs could potentially be immature. Most artists are unable to capture the emotional impact of the message without sounding like they're whining. No Doubt manages to avoid both pit-falls. Even on the break-up songs, ie. "Ex-Girlfriend" and "Bathwater", the lyrics are sung with a sense of maturity about them. Gwen Stefani (lead singer) allows the listener to feel the emotions through her singing; but at the same time creates a more pensive atmosphere to the songs. She sings about the issues people think about daily (Being jealous of others, wearing a mask, the repetitiveness of life, lying for love, etc). Yet, Gwen allows a sense that you're taking a journey through a person's mind. She's not trying to belt out a message, but merely allowing their listeners to interpret and apply what they see in a song, what's presented, to their own lives. It's a different approach and it works very well. So why only 4 stars? Well, I find it just falls short of a 5 star album. I believe it's because there are a few songs, in listening to the whole CD at once, that seem a tad mellow compared to the others (ie. New). Now, these songs aren't bad, but I feel they just need a bit of an extra push to them to allow me to get more into the song. In conclusion, the CD shines for the most part. I'm not disappointed, so I would say if you're looking for a new band to check out, No Doubt would be it. Return of Saturn will be worth your time and money.

The Greatest No Doubt Album of All Time:
After No Doubt's release of Tragic Kingdom, I thought it impossible for them to top it. What a shock I got when I picked up Return of Saturn, the group's best album. While Bathwater was somewhat of a letdown, the rest of this album is incredible, blending punk, ska, pop, and rock together to create the album I had always dreamed they would release. Simple Kind of Life is the best song the group has ever released, and Dark Blue, Magic's in the Makeup, and New are all songs that no music lover could hate. To me, it is disappointing that No Doubt released Rock Steady after such a great comeback. Steady left their rock and roll in the past and traded it for dance hall anthems. Oh well, Return of Saturn makes up for all their other mistakes. And parents- this one's fun for the whole family (with the exception of Bathwater, although it is not explicit). Let's hope that No DOubt returns to this sound on their next album!

Rockin & Lovely:
I love this album, it is definetly in its own place. I love the confusion, unsurity, and uncertainty coming through in the stories of the songs. Gwen's hauntingly melodic voice is quite mesmerizing. Super amazing!

I miss this No doubt:
I can't stand their new CD, Rock Steady, and it made me appreciate this cd along with their older ones even more. I miss the pre-2001 No doubt. I hope you guys come back because your new stuff stinks.

• Ex-Girlfriend
• Simple Kind of Life
• Bathwater
• Six Feet Under
• Magic's in the Makeup
• Artificial Sweetener
• Marry Me
• New
• Too Late
• Comforting Lie
• Suspension Without Suspense
• Staring Problem
• Home Now
• Dark Blue