One Of 2012 Best Albums! Puh & Shove Is A Great Comeback!

A Great Comeback! Lookin Hot & Push And Shove Are Great Tracks!

I can't consider myself a "longtime" fan, as I'd only started really delving into their discography this year. Yet I was still greatly anticipating listening to this like someone that waited 11 years would, since the albums I'd heard (basically everything from Tragic Kingdom onward) impressed me so much. Let me start by saying this is NOT their best album to date by far. I'd give that to the highly underrated Return of Saturn. Anyway this isn't the kind of album where you can easily distinguish the "good songs" from the "bad songs". Nor is it the kind of album where every song is absolute gold & you wouldn't have it any other way. Rather, it's the kind of album where most songs are positively notable but there's also little things wrong with them. The biggest example of this is the fact that Busy Signal's verse about a minute into the title track was so annoying to me that I spent an hour installing a "cutting parts out of a song" program onto my computer and now the track is over a minute shorter. Other issues I have are the unnecessary "back & forth conversation" in the verses of Settle Down & a general watering down of real instruments throughout the album. I appreciate a change to a synthier sound (or any stylistic change a band wants to make really) but it felt like, at least in the mix, the synth parts were drowning out the band itself. On some songs it took multiple listens to hear any guitar part at all in them. That shouldn't happen! My last major gripe is that the lyrics have for the most part taken a turn for the "decent". They lack the attitude of Tragic Kingdom or the raw emotion of Return of Saturn, with the exception of Undone & a couple others to a lesser extent. It just feels really complacent at times. Still I'd say it's better lyrically than most of Rock Steady, and it rarely goes below decent. Now onto the positives: Gwen's voice has greatly improved this time around. One problem I have with some of No Doubt's previous discography is that Gwen tended to sing with this really "pouty" (for lack of a better word) inflection that got a little grating at times. That's gone for good here. The singing throughout Push & Shove feels a lot more natural. Also the melodies & instrumentation are, as one should expect when listening to a No Doubt album, very catchy & well-written. It trails off a little in places but the general hookiness is still there. To focus more specifically, I'd say the songs here that sounds the most like they could go on a "classic" No Doubt album are Settle Down (Tragic Kingdom), Undone (Return of Saturn), Sparkle (either of those) & the title track (Rock Steady). Other than that I'd say this album definitely has its own sound to differentiate it from the rest of their discography in its more synth-oriented instrumentation that makes it sound more 1983 than 2012. Others may call this a sellout but I don't see it that way. To me it sounds more like classic 80s synth-pop than effortless generic 2012 crap-pop that panders to the lowest common denominator. Finally it seems fitting to end the review by pointing out the fantastic closing track Dreaming the Same Dream, a track with great lyrics about togetherness through hard times and very well-written & intricate instrumental parts. Overall I'd call this album a success, but I'm not so sure if it was a worth-waiting-11-years level of good. But then again I'm not a longtime fan so I didn't have to go through all that. 75/100… Expand

No Doubt used to be one of the coolest band around. But like any band that is approaching their 'age', it's struggling to remain relevant in this day and age of 'electro pop'. Instead of going through the direction that is charted on 'Rock Steady' or the Tragic Kingdom, they sort of went for the dreaded middle ground. The end result felt tired; no songs were strong enough to beat some of their best efforts. It's strange how Gwen Stefani's solo efforts seemed to be a much better evolution of their 'sound' than this album. Is she better going solo, like her other peers (Phil Collins, Rob Thomas, to name a few)?… Expand

One Of The Best Albums Of 2012!

Foram onze anos entre o lançamento de Rock Steady e do sexto álbum do No Doubt, Push and Shove. Nesse meio tempo o mundo mudou e muito. Uma nova geração de artista nasceu e com ela uma nova leva de fãs brotou com eles. Para o No Doubt o mais perigoso seria tentar misturar seu som com as novas tendências para chamar a atenção dessa nova platéia e perder a sua personalidade. Mais perigoso ainda seria eles se manterem tão fieis ao próprio estilo que poderia soar extremamente datado. Nem uma dessas duas opções acabou acontecendo.

Push and Shove é um álbum bom não genial, mas solido e bem executado. O grupo manteve suas raízes bem fundadas no pop indie, rock e reggae e seus derivados conseguindo não deixar um gosto de prato requentado. A grande razão disso foi o grupo colocar como o principal produtor deles o experiente Mark 'Spike' Stent que além de já ter trabalho com o grupo tem uma imenso e variado currículo que vai desde a Madonna até a Björk. Como "maestro" de um grupo maduro, ele conseguiu modernizar o som deles sem parecer velho ou sem foco ou os dois. Não cria nada realmente sensacional, mas consegue deixar tudo bem azeitado e bem feito como na balada rock One More Summer. As composições estão bom nada muito profundo ou poderoso. Em sua maioria fala de amor de maneira despreocupada e "cool". Mesmo com vários momentos irregulares com na fraca Undercover ainda tem momentos interessantes como na balada Undone. Gwen ainda é a cola com glitter que gruda e dá graça ao resultado final já que boa parte da personalidade da banda vem do carisma e talento dela. Isso é claro na melhor música do álbum Push and Shove onde reúne todos os elementos mais caracteristicos da banda como, por exemplo, o "flerte" com o reggae. Pode não ser um volta inesquecível, mas pelo menos é relevante para o próprio grupo e para o atual cenário musical.… Expand

More reminiscent to Gwen's solo albums than any previous No Doubt records, not in a bad way but definitely presents an overall pop/dance template which interestingly veers into adult contemporary territory with some power ballads too... and of course it's not without some (although brief and diluted) ska/punk roots. It's good to have them back, but ultimately this record is a bit safe sounding. Okay, I'll just say it - where are the goddamn guitars, horns and vibrato vocals?!?!??!… Expand

As a stand alone disc, having not owned either of the previous two albums, but love the compilation of singles, this truly is an excellent album. There is nothing wrong with groups garnering up some 'pop'ularity in this age of throw away hits and tweeny boppy songs. Not much here is throw away. The song 'Push and Shove' is brilliant!

This album was just pure garbage. It's not No Doubt anymore.. they hav eturned into some stupid and horrible mix of lame pop/reggae/ (wannabe) ska music. Bad comback after all this time on Hiatus...

This is an excellent pop album. Ear candy of the highest order. It definitely is the logical conclusion to an aesthetic arc that sort of started with Rock Steady and carried through Gwen's solo stuff and ends up here, with Push and Shove. That's not to say this sounds like one of Gwen's solo records. That's also not to say it doesn't. It's got the attitude of No Doubt, but some of the sensibility of Gwen's solo (which, in this reviewer's opinion, is by no means a bad thing--LAMB remains one of the best mainstream albums of the new millennium). Where a lot of Gwen's solo was club and urban oriented pop, this tends towards more HAC style goodness, and perhaps that makes sense: they are all terribly successful and have children now--they've mellowed. If any track from Gwen's solo signaled the direction of this album, it was the impeccable "Cool."

The album opens with several flawless tracks. Settle Down is spunky and features a lush string intro and a minute long outro (really, all the songs on this album are just a bit longer than the business standard, which is refreshing). Looking Hot, despite first appearances, is the most clever track on the record, as the bridge totally recontextualizes the central question, "do you think I'm looking hot?" Gwen switches tones and sings sadly, "you're complimentary, but I'm just pretending," and it's clear that this song has more on its mind. When the beat picks back up, we realize: the question is sarcastic.

Push and Shove is manic brilliance that ends with a deliriously good synthy crescendo. One More Summer is sonically one of the most beautiful songs here, all new wave guitars and autumnal synths. Easy is a wonderfully sexy pop song, with an epic chorus and an unexpected bridge that totally works (the bridges, by and large, on this album, are unexpected delights). Dreaming the Same Dream is the perfect cap for the album, and is the clearest statement of their intended aesthetic--as they describe themselves, "John Hughes and prom music." Needless to say, they nailed it. The album has a few low spots. The middle section dips: Gravity and Undercover are by all means nice pop songs, but compared to what comes before and after, they don't quite stand out. And I'm not a fan of Undone, which just doesn't feel to me like it does anything I haven't heard other pop ballads do.

But, overall, this is one of the most richly and thoughtfully produced pop albums I've heard recently. The band had a clear aesthetic in mind, and they examine it and deploy it rigorously. These songs feel like they'd be at home accompanying any high school movie dance scene climax. Mainstream pop doesn't come much more glossy, enjoyable, and smart than this.… Expand

While No Doubt have never been lyrical geniuses, their past efforts were worlds better than the throw away mindlessness exhibited on this album. When it comes to ridiculous lyrics songs like Looking Hot (Do you think I'm looking hot, do you think this hits the spot, I was just looking at me, look at me) and Easy (I'm gonna hit and run yummy yummy yum) quickly steal the crown from Hollaback Girl. At least in the case of Hollaback Girl the lyrics were a clear compliment to the cheerleader anthem of the accompanying music. No such creativity on display here. Certainly profound lyrics aren't a requirement for good music, but the ones found here are just dull and uninspired. I'm also mildly baffled by the professional critics claiming to find "more mature themes" in her lyrics this time around.

Musically, the album is a confused mess as well. We have a batch of pop songs that are nearly outdated in their style as they are being released. Many of these songs are just well-produced 80's synth-pop numbers with the occasional break for one where the band remembers that they were once a guitar driven pop band with ska influences so they throw in a guitar riff and a couple notes on a trumpet as a tribute to their former selves. I'm not going to insist that they return to the style of Tragic Kingdom with this album, but the I think they themselves need to agree on where exactly they want their music to go. Even as a pop album, the tracks on here pale in comparison to all but the worst of her solo work. The entire first half of the album is a meandering mess of conflicting ideas and interruptions. Songs that start off with a guitar driven opening quickly drift off into unsatisfying and barely related synthpop and songs that start off as club-friendly dance tunes are rudely interrupted by failed attempts to bring in other influences.

I wish the best to Stefani and the her reunited band, but as painful as it is to admit it, she was probably better off playing the role of pop superstar on her own. The band just held her back from her current musical vision with Rock Steady and at least from an outsider's perspective, they just might be doing it again here.… Expand

After all the anticipation & hype, No Doubt delivers a solid comeback album by going back to their ska, punk & 80's pop roots. They kept it fresh, however, by keeping tempos up & filtering that signature sound through more modern production to satisfy today's EDM culture. Stand out tracks include sure-to-be single One More Summer, Looking Hot & album closer Dreaming the Same Dream.

No Doubt is back and better than ever with their soon to be hit "Push and Shove." The title track mixes modern pop music and the 1996 Tragic Kingdom-esque ska punk. Gwen Stefani's voice is spot on and sounds amazing. "Looking Hot" mixes "Hella Good" and "Spiderwebs". "One More Summer" is a great pop ballad. "Easy" is one of my favorites on the album mixing R&B and Synth rock together. "Gravity" is a EASY summer song. "Settle Down" is a mixture of everything No Doubt has ever done in a beautiful way. "Undone" could be the next "Don't Speak". "Undercover" reminds me a lot of something from "Rock Steady" like "Detective". "Sparkle" is another favorite from the album. Co written with Dave Stewart, it was written and mixed with perfection. "Heaven" is my favorite song from the album. This song reminds me of the 1980's New wave scene. "Dreaming the Same Dream" is a song inspired by britpop artists and you can tell. It's a great song. This album is worth the long wait! Go get it! You won't regret it!… Expand