Push and Shove - No Doubt
User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 41
  3. Negative: 2 out of 41

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  1. LanaDelRey
    Mar 24, 2013
    9
    One Of 2012 Best Albums! Puh & Shove Is A Great Comeback!
  2. GagaForGhibli
    Nov 7, 2012
    10
    One Of The Best Albums Of 2012!
  3. doc2be
    Oct 3, 2012
    9
    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!
  4. kupo
    Sep 26, 2012
    9
    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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. Uncut
    Oct 26, 2012
    30
    "Heaven" is a decent stab at '80s synth pop; "Looking Hot" and "Push And Shove" mix bubblegum R&B with ragga-inspired middle eights; the rest is rather forgettable. [Dec 2012, p.75]
  2. Mojo
    Oct 22, 2012
    40
    It doesn't help that the album features a glut of dull mid-tempos. [Nov 2012, p.95]
  3. Q Magazine
    Oct 22, 2012
    60
    No Doubt have always been a platinum-haired party band, but, over 20 years into the game, such platinum pop perfection feels far less forced. [Nov 2012, p.108]
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