dotmusic (Oct. 1st 2001)
No Doubt Go ‘Rock Steady’
No Doubt return at the start of next year with a new album 'Rock Steady' described by Gwen Stefani as "a sparkling, happy, positive party record."
Speaking to dotmusic as they put the finishing touches to the album in London, the band were visibly excited at the prospect of unleashing such an eclectic album that fuses their trademark sound while drawing on strong reggae, dancehall, ska and hip-hop influences.
"We agreed we'd do backwards in a modern way," explains Gwen. "We've always been inspired by reggae, ska and dancehall is a modern version. That's where we started.
"The idea was to make a record that was more upbeat and happier. That's what we've always been about and we've never taken ourselves too seriously."
And dotmusic can reveal to fans that their decision to work with such a variety of producers - including Nellee Hooper, The Neptunes, William Orbit, Prince, Dr Dre and Sly & Robbie to mention a few - has certainly resulted in a "unique and fresh" sound.
Although the Dre track 'Wicked Day' hasn't made the album, the Prince track 'Waiting Room' is one of the album's standout tracks that, in the notable absence of guitars, tears up the rulebook with an unorthodox structure, an abundance of unusual effects and a classic Prince harmony.
Other tracks to watch for include the 'Hey Baby' with sharp guitar lick, 80s synth and squelching distorted effect, the classic No Doubt of 'Detective', the stripped down 'Running' and the penetrating ballad (and potential single), 'Underneath It All'.
It's a pretty impressive list of collaborators but how does something like this come together? Let Gwen explain...
On Nellee Hooper:
"It was kind of a fluke as he was available and interested. He is someone we've wanted to work with but he never seemed like the right guy for what we were doing but this record was perfect timing and chemistry."
On Neptunes:
"I met the guy (Pharrell Williams) in New York at MTV in the hallway. He was like 'Gwen, I've been looking for you' and I was like 'who are you?' The next thing you know we were in LA working with these guys. We'd never written with anyone outside the group before."
On Prince:
"Prince called me up and asked me to sing on his new record. He flew the whole band out to Paisley Park and the whole thing was if I did this he'd do anything for us. We'd written this song 'Waiting Room' so we sent him the demo and before we'd landed he'd re-written and recorded a whole new demo. We couldn't believe it. He was really fun to work with and really inspired me as far as writing. He gave me a lot of advice."
Tracks confirmed for 'Rock Steady' include: Detective, Don't Let Me Down, Hella Good, Hey Baby, In My Head, Platinum Blonde Life, Making Out, Rock Steady, Running, Start The Fire, and Underneath It All.
After wrapping up the album at the weekend, the band jetted back to the States to shoot the video to the first single 'Hella Good' before commencing rehearsals for their upcoming North American U2 support slot.