Newsweek (Dec. 17th 2001)

Far Beyond A Shadow Of No Doubt

Gwen Stefani and her longtime posse return with a new album and less drama

When No Doubt's bouncy ska hit "Just a Girl" popped up like a big yellow daisy on the otherwise gloomy grunge landscape of 1995, it seemed the band would be as short-lived as a mall fad. The Anaheim, Calif., quartet--who grew up in the shadow of Disneyland and named its breakthrough album "Tragic Kingdom"--was goofy, colorful and cartoonish. In short, No Doubt was a quintessential one-hit wonder. But two multiplatinum records later, the frenetic suburban band has outlived its most respected chart-topping peers and sold more than 18 million albums. Now it's on the verge of releasing its best record yet, "Rock Steady."

"I didn't even think we'd make it this far," admits Stefani, who is sitting in the living room of her Hollywood Hills home with bassist and former boyfriend Tony Kanal. Her other bandmates, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young, are driving back to their homes in Orange County after a daylong photo session. "We surprised everyone, including ourselves."

Thanks to her bombshell-meets-goofball demeanor, standout sense of style (she designs all her own clothes) and quavering, throaty vocals, the 32-year-old Stefani has become one of pop's most recognizable personalities. And recent duets with techno-god Moby and hip-hop's first lady, Eve, have only highlighted the singer's transformation from onetime salesgirl to genre-hopping megastar. Now, on this new album, No Doubt goes style-dipping with Stefani, making its most risky, varied and creative music to date. "Rock Steady" deftly blends Jamaican dance-hall melodies, hip-hop-inspired production and simplistic,'80 s pop. To mix things up further, the band coproduced and wrote the album with a slew of studio masters: Prince, Ric Ocasek (formerly of The Cars), William Orbit (Madonna), Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and Jamaica's primo team Sly & Robbie. Ironically, the varied input has made this No Doubt's most focused album. The songs are bold yet simple, rather than nervously scattered, as they often were in the past. These more solid foundations give Stefani's voice a new confidence: she's able to smooth out and flow on balmy, Caribbean-style ballads like "Underneath It All," then kick in hard on quirky, slamming dance tunes such as "Hey Baby" and "Making Out."

"We took our last record so seriously," says Stefani, who with her band labored for two years on 2000's "Return of Saturn." "After all that success, it was like, we better be good. It was a lot of work and almost too hard at times, but it set us up to do what we want now, to be free and say anything goes." Kanal, who masterminded the change in direction, agrees. "It was definitely the easiest record we've ever made," he says. "For us to write and put out a record within one year--that's never been done. The music reflects how easy it was for us. It was actually fun."

Fun has always been a goal for No Doubt, though it's often proved more than elusive. Seventeen-year-old Stefani became the singer of her brother's band when original vocalist John Spence committed suicide in 1988. After working hard to gain notoriety: amassing a following at local shows and selling 30,000 copies of their first independent album, they hit what should have been happy times. No Doubt signed with Interscope in 1991, but their self-titled debut tanked and the record company was apprehensive about putting out a second record. Stefani's brother finally quit as the band struggled to move in a more commercial direction. Adding to the heartache, Kanal broke up with Stefani after seven years.

"That's when I realized I could write songs," says Stefani, who penned the band's most successful single, "Don't Speak," about the breakup. "I told the story of us, not ever knowing 16 million people would hear it. Then the record just blew up. Now we regret being so open about it 'cause it was so painful. Imagine every day sitting in interviews talking about it, and we still do. It doesn't hurt us anymore, huh, Ton?" she says, looking for confirmation to Kanal. "It's all good," he replies. Especially for Stefani. She now dates Bush's dreamy lead singer, Gavin Rossdale, and has struck out on her own musically. "The Eve single opened us up to a whole different audience," says Stefani. "Even the big, beefy security guards now recognize me: 'Hey, Gwen, wazzz up? You're dope, man.' I love that! And all I did was sing on that song."

Looking fabulous in the video didn't hurt either. Stefani is a definite attention-getter and, though it may be unintentional, her bandmates are often eclipsed by their singer. The guys, who have been cut out of cover-photo shots and omitted from interviews, claim they've worked through these tensions. Now there are just those rumors about Stefani's going solo. She denies it. "I was on my own doing those other things," she says, "and now I'm excited to be in the gang again. We're so strong as four. That's what sets us apart--we are a real band that's been together 15 years, and nobody can take that away."