No Doubt : Push And Shove
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No Doubt : Push And Shove

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Push And Shove is No Doubt’s comeback after nearly a decade away, but it doesn’t make any concessions to current pop music trends. There are no Nicki Minaj guest spots to be found here, and there’s no talk of party rock anthems or being on the floor – this is a No Doubt album through and through.

A collection of shiny dancehall and new wave-inspired pop songs, Push And Shove bounces along on bright, catchy hooks and Gwen Stefani’s brash delivery. Stefani is not the world’s strongest vocalist, but there are two types of songs she does very well – the upbeat ones where she struts and preens, boasting about how cool and untouchable she is, and the slower ballads, where she pines for the simpler things like true lurve – and wisely, the album sticks to these two. The more bombastic tendencies come out on the opening run of tracks – there’s Settle Down, with its loping beat and weirdly irresistible melody, and Looking Hot, which grabs you, hits you full in the face with its blasting horn section, then veers into dub interludes. The ballad-ier tracks draw on the same kind of ‘80s melodrama that Stefani explored on her solo albums, and One More Summer and Dreaming The Same Dream sound like direct descendants of songs like The Real Thing. It’s not as energetic as Tragic Kingdom or as effortlessly cool and catchy as Rock Steady, but on Push And Shove, No Doubt’s party spirit remains intact.

BY ALASDAIR DUNCAN

Best Track: One More Summer

If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Rock Steady NO DOUBT, Love Angel Music Baby GWEN STEFANI, Bring Ya To The Brink CYNDI LAUPER

In A Word: Glossy