Cheap Rock Steady (Music) (No Doubt) Price

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Customer Reviews of Rock Steady

"Pretty damn good"
It took over five years for No Doubt to follow-up their breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom, and when they did, we were left with a mature Gwen Stefani moaning about her life in the extremely disappointing Return of Saturn. Fast-forward a few months, and the band announces that they're planning on releasing yet another album, this time focusing on a hip-hop/dance sensibilities in their tunes - you can pretty much guess how much we were dreading it: hip-hop from a ska/punk group? And from a band that hasn't released even one worthy track in almost six years? But that's not to say we weren't hoping - Stefani's excellent duet with Eve on "Let Me Blow Ya, Mind?", as well as her appearance on Moby's remix of "South Side" kept us praying for something good, and we've been blessed with Rock Steady. OK, so maybe it's not exactly a godsend, but it's still pretty damn good. Opening with a 30-second gospel-like praise for Rock Steady, it slides in to the first track "Hella Good", combining Stefani's sexy voice with '80s electronica and '90s guitar's to create a sublimely eccentric opening song that sounds remarkably akin to Madonna's "Music". It's followed by the hit-single "Hey Baby", which lyrically pairs the song with Tragic Kingdom's "Just A Girl", describing the lead-singer's alienation from being in a band full of guys. The video for the tune is also included on the album, which does nothing more than to try and show off the flat (chest-wise, we mean) Stefani's body at every opportunity - not that we have any objections, of course. But what differs this recording from the group's others is that, essentially, it was produced by a talented group of individuals, including Prince, Nellee Hooper, Sly & Robbie, Ric Ocasek, Steely & Cleve and Mark Stent. It is, however, Prince's (we can't be bothered with that Artist-Formerly-Known-As bull) contribution in "Waiting Room" that stands out the most, with the 'Artist' actually writing and singing most of the tune. Overall, No Doubt have proven that they're a band that can redefine themselves to fit any musical situation, with their immense recording Rock Steady having more hooks in it than you'd find in a meat freezer.

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Talk about Hella Good!!!
No Doubt has been around long enough that they can take the liberty to experiment. This album is a definite success!! They added more fast-paced, upbeat songs without taking away any of their original songs. They also developed a cool, new Jamaican vibe for this CD.

The lyrics are honest and tell the story of their life, loves, and worries. Each song is different and you can listen to the whole album ten times over without skipping a single song. My personal faves are the obvious single, "Hey Baby", the fun "Making Out", the intriguing "Detective", and the rockin' steady "Platinum Blonde Life". I would go on and name every single song but I have a feeling that'd be pointless.

This CD is a breakthrough after the small disappointment in "Tragic Kingdom"'s follow-up, "Return of Saturn". It's an indication that this band has more to offer than a cool lead singer, they've grown up and moved beyond that. For the die-hard fan, no question. For the curious person who just stumbled across No Doubt, definitely give it a try. It won't be long before you're hooked!

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Catastrophic and almost suicidally depressing
I will not dwell much on "Rock Steady," simply because such a throw-away piece of trash does not merit too much of my consideration or time. I loved No Doubt ever since I heard "Don't Speak," a beautiful song which I still fondly play. "Tragic Kingdom" was a unique album that I likewise love, and I have a better opinion of "Return of Saturn" than most - Gwen's solo songwriting effort ("Simple Kind Of Life") is one of the best songs the band ever put out. No Doubt will always be for me the talented and raw ska band who once made it big with a great album.
Fast-forward to the present. Unlike most negative reviewers here, I still love Gwen Stefani, and didn't mind her collaborations with Moby and Eve in the summer of 2001. They were insignificant side projects, not too bad for what they are.
But "Rock Steady" is a disaster. I will give a pass to "Running" and "Underneath It All," they're quite nice slow songs, I might even say I like them a lot.
But the title track and the abysmally named "Hella Good" (more aptly titled "The Death Of Songwriting"), to pick on the easiest targets in terms of airplay, are musical crimes. The lot of it is mindless, repetitive, and unforgiveably bland garbage, which will be dumped soon enough in favor of the next easily consumable and nicely packaged mass entertainment (I would not dare call it music or art).
While some may be tempted to get up and dance by "Rock Steady," I am tempted to lie down and cry.

P.S. No Doubt's new single "It's My Life" is surprisingly good (I still like this band, I cannot help it), and will hopefully foreshadow a departure far, far away from the dark, gaping hole that is "Rock Steady."