Rolling Stone (Sept. 16th 2004)

No Doubt singer recruits Dr. Dre, New Order for solo disc

Title To be announced

Due out November 23rd

Gwen Stefani is stepping out of the shadows of No Doubt, but don't call her new album a solo record. "The whole idea was to collaborate," says Stefani. "To do a solo record means trying to pour my heart out, which I feel like I already do in No Doubt. This is more of an art project. I wanted to play different roles and work with a ton of people." The lineup she recruited is as all-Star as they come: Dallas Austin looks to his past work with Pink and TLC for a dance feel, Dr. Dre and the Neptunes bring the hip-hop beats, and Martin Gore, Dave Stewart and New Order provide New Wave authenticity. "I knew exactly what my influences were — Club Nouveau, Lisa Lisa, Prince, New Order, the Cure, early Madonna," says Stefani. "Everybody was under strict instructions."

Hot tracks On "Bubble Pop Electric," OutKast's André 3000 lends a Broadway-musical vibe, and Stefani comes on like a cross between the Andrews Sisters and underground electro diva Peaches. "I'm such a fan of André's," she says. "I was sent hundreds of tracks, and his were the first that I actually liked. It was interesting to work with him while his star was really shining bright. At first, it was kind of intimidating, like, I didn't feel I could shine. But by the end, it felt like we were in a band together."