The Palm Beach Post (Oct. 25th 2002)
Is this band durable? No Doubt.
"We just stuck it out."
That's how No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont explains the band's sometimes frustrating, sometimes thrilling ride over the past decade.
After the California group's 1995 debut album, Tragic Kingdom, sold more than 15 million copies, it seemed it couldn't get any hotter. But then the 2000 follow-up, Return to Saturn, fizzled. And many predicted the ska-based band's moment had passed.
But it turns out there is a third act to No Doubt's career, thanks to its recent Rock Steady release, a free-wheeling melange of ska, reggae, techno, New Wave and pop that has put this plucky ensemble back on the charts - and back on the arena touring circuit.
Following a bravura outing at this year's SunFest, No Doubt returns to South Florida Tuesday night, headlining a bill with Garbage and the Distillers at the Office Depot Center. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the band is headed by Gwen Stefani, the slinky singer who's become a fashion-mag favorite and has been in the news because of her recent marriage to Gavin Rossdale, frontman for the rock band Bush.
And Rock Steady has a sound that's unabashedly commercial (think of the first single, the kinetic Hey Baby), which has played a large role in the group's recent good fortune. But to hear Dumont tell it, the renewed success is largely a result of perseverance. Even in the group's leaner, Return to Saturn era, it kept its cool.
"The audiences were smaller, but they were still big enough for us," says Dumont, speaking by phone from the road. After all, he notes, when the group started out in the late '80s, it was lucky to play for 1,000 people. Plus, Dumont says, there's a certain freedom that comes with accepting a more modest level of fame.
"With Rock Steady, we felt a lot of the pressure was off. We just had fun with it," the guitarist explains. Part of that "fun" was employing a number of producers rather than seeking one big name. As it turns out, the group couldn't find anybody it liked who had the time to commit to a whole album, so it went the schizophrenic route.
"Every week, there was something different going on. We were in London, we were in Jamaica," Dumont recalls. The result is that Rock Steady has a lively, eclectic feel. Dumont further emphasized that by switching instruments, playing around on keyboard at various points in the production process. He describes the album's overall vibe as "emulating this dance-hall reggae sound coming out of Jamaica right now," a sound that is less guitar and bass-driven. It's also a sound that's clearly different from Tragic Kingdom, which earned the band its fame. But, as Dumont says, even the cuts on that debut were all over the map.
"When we first got signed we would drive the (record label's) A&R guy crazy," he recalls. "If you look at the first album, Don't Speak sounds very different from I'm Just a Girl. We have a fear of repeating ourselves."
Dumont also makes the point that despite Stefani's sudden fame outside the band - she's recorded with Moby and rapper Eve - she remains as committed as ever to No Doubt. "She's not afraid to get down in the trenches and do the creative part. That's part of her appeal," he says, adding that he takes pride in watching her growth: Stefani joined the band when she was just a high-school kid.
"She's come a long way," Dumont recalls. "She used to be very mellow and shy. She's found a lot of confidence and strength in her success. After Tragic Kingdom, it empowered her. She became the creative leader in the band."
As for Stefani's recent nuptials, Dumont says the band is "definitely happy for her." The lead singer has always made the point that she's been eager to settle down and possibly raise a family. "If there was any overriding ambition of hers, that was it," Dumont says.