New York Daily News (Dec. 16th 2001)

No Doubt About Stefani

Pop starlets come and go but Gwen's eclectic choices are keeping her at the top

If anyone has taken up the "Valley Girl" torch lit by Moon Unit Zappa 20 years ago, it is No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, an irrepressible bundle of bleached-blond energy who never shies from letting her Southern California roots show through.

"How are you doin', dude?" the singer asks before launching into a description of an MTV promotion she and her bandmates just finished. With cameras rolling, No Doubt played much of its new album, "Rock Steady," to a high-school crowd that had no idea the group was coming.

"It was so rad," says Stefani. "We just walked on campus and were sticking our heads into people's classes. It was so rad. Every day is, like, major awesome crazy [stuff]."

Indeed, excitement is once again swirling around No Doubt, a band that went multi-platinum in 1995 with hits such as "Don't Speak" and "I'm Just a Girl." It took five years of toil to produce last year's relatively disappointing "Return of Saturn." But on Tuesday, the band released "Rock Steady" a mere 18 months after its predecessor.

Already, the record's first single, "Hey Baby," has become a staple on MTV and VH1. Stefani's saucy shout-out to the groupies who try to seduce her male bandmates - bassist Tony Kanal, drummer Adrian Young and guitarist Tom Dumont - is typical of "Rock Steady's" catchy, synth-driven pop.

A mix of classic New Wave sounds, hard-driving hip-hop beats and slinky Jamaican dance hall, the record marks a departure in No Doubt's creative process. Instead of hashing out the songs as a band, they collaborated with a series of producers and songwriters, including Bjork, red-hot hip-hop producers the Neptunes, U2 mixman Nellee Hooper, the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, Prince and the Cars' Ric Ocasek.

"That was a really big step for us," Stefani says. "Because we never really let anyone into the family before. The experience of working with someone you totally idolized growing up - like Dave Stewart and 'Sweet Dreams' - was awesome. But even though it's fun, it's like, 'Whoa, this is pressure.' Because you want to be good in front of your idols."

The group also got hooked on dancehall music after Kanal started playing the likes of Bounty Killer, Beenie Man and Shabba Ranks at the band's after-concert parties. No Doubt got its start in 1987 playing a mix of Jamaican ska and punk, so they already had an affinity for the reggae-based music, which led them to record much of the album in Jamaica with drum-and-bass pioneers Sly & Robbie and dance-hall team Steely & Clevie.

GUEST-STAR ROLES

"We were totally inspired by dance hall," says Stefani. "You've got this really simple music, but it's so infectious. I think rock over the last couple of years has been very uninspiring, especially for me; there has been a lot of testosterone-driven music. Also, we were going out dancing a lot and we wanted to write a record that would come on in the club."

In addition to the many collaborative efforts on "Rock Steady," Stefani has kept busy on projects outside of the band. Her guest appearances on Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and Moby's remix of "South Side" landed her roles in two of 2001's high-profile singles.

"I don't think anybody involved thought that those things were going to end up what they were," she says. "The Moby thing was from, like, three years ago. Who would have thought that thing had legs that would not go away? Now I have a list of people who I actually sang on their records. It's so cool."

Stefani also took inspiration from Eve, who has managed to earn respect in a male-dominated field. Like Stefani, she balances her sex appeal with smart songs about independence and self-worth.

"Just working with another female was really cool," says Stefani. "In her world, a female rapper is a hard position to fill and she does it really well. She doesn't sell out with her sexual side. She's just the coolest chick."

Earlier this year, Blender magazine named Stefani one of the 50 sexiest people in rock history. It's a title she has mixed feelings about, especially with the extra attention she has drawn to herself by dating Gavin Rossdale, hunky lead singer of the British rock band Bush.

"The fame, celebrity-sex-symbol part of the whole thing is just always really odd, but also really flattering," she says. "You never really picture yourself like that. And you know all the tricks you use to try to fool people. So the sex symbol part, I don't know about that. Good for me. It makes me laugh. And it makes it me happy. Whatever."

Before she leaves, I tell Stefani that "Rock Steady" is No Doubt's best album. Predictably, it unleashes another torrent of effervescent California-isms. Stefani, the sex symbol and girl-power icon, is really just a surfer at heart.

"All right, dude," she says. "I'm so excited you got it. Killer."