No Doubt is my all-time favorite band, and has been for awhile now. My favorite CD is Tragic Kingdom. I picked up Rock Steady today, a little bit iffy on how it was going to sound. I liked Hey Baby, but not as much as their older stuff. I was blown away by the CD. I loved it. It was like 80sdiscorockpoptechnotrancereggaeskadancehall. Heh. Anyways, it was a big risk for No Doubt to add all of this new flavor into their sound but I think it turned out great.

I know all of the die-hard old school No Doubt fans are probably (...) off. To be honest, I was a little at first. I mean, their old stuff...her words are so powerful and the sound was something I don't think anyone else had. But listen...before Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt had been a band for 9 years doing ska-type music. And how many years ago did Tragic Kingdom come out? 1995...so um...6..almost 7 years or so. Gwen was fifteen when she

I think Tragic Kingdom is still my favorite ND CD (I have all 5 of their albums), but I would have to go with Rock Steady as my second favorite. I mean...how boring would it be if they repeated almost the same type of song over and over from album to album? You've got to change somewhere to keep people interested in you. I love this new CD and I urge everyone who is mad that they've changed their style a bit to re-listen to it. It really is a great CD. I think my favorite track right now is Hella Good. Maybe I'll change my mind, I don't know.

Exposed navels, bleached blondes, three guys and a cheeky charismatic lead singer are usually the images that come to mind when describing the Southern California quartet No Doubt. Now with that, add a seasoning of Caribbean style rhythms and catchy hooks to get the band's latest offering, Rock Steady. The foursome's fifth studio longplayer is a collection of delectable island-splashed pop with dance club appeal.

Always the explorationists, the group takes a new creative step in their sound and music. Released only a year after their 2000 smash Return To Saturn, the boys and girl of No Doubt fall into no particular formulaic pattern. Rather than boring their listeners by treading the same musical ground of past hit albums, the band expands and further defines its own unique brand of So Cal ska.

Innovating instead of reduplicating, Rock Steady takes chances and experiments with new soundscapes. The album takes its cue from dancehall-reggae, hip hop and new wave, never juxtaposing but intermixing - exploring their influences in the genres like never before.

Songs indicative of this newfound exploration include the lead single, "Hey Baby," the dance numbers "Hella Good" and "Start The Fire" and the retro-pop of "Underneath It All," which harks back to the second wave ska of The Specials.

Vocally, it's still Gwen's show, but the album offers one noteworthy guest appearance. The artist once again known as Prince, a long time No Doubt collaborator who offered his services for the group's last LP and various B-sides, reappears with "Waiting Room," a tribal, funk-laced duet. On a majority of the songs, Stefani's vocals are strong and assured accentuating nicely with her band's sound.

Lyrically, the songwriting is less confessional and regret-oriented due in large part to No Doubt's decision to include new writers. You won't find a syrupy ballad in the vein of "Don't Speak" or "Simple Kind Of Life" here; the vibe of Rock Steady is contextually mid-tempo with emphasis on bass speaker approval - dealing with everything from raucous fans to the typical Stefani templates of longing love and bedazzlement. All night parties and good times seem to be the principal theme of the group's dancehall tinged melodies and upbeat subject matter.

Rock Steady, after all, is a celebration of No Doubt's influences and appreciations combined with a forward-thinking inimitability. Though inventive, their native So Cal punk origins are still visible. While other members of the ska-punk community opt for re-creation, No Doubt continually pushes the supposed limitations of the genre and gerrymanders its boundaries.

The last reviewer was way out of line reviewing this limited edition version of No Doubt's multiplatinum "Rock Steady". Yeah, maybe there's only two extra acoustic bonus tracks, but if you are like me, and didn't get the original version of the album before this came out, you should get this version. Afterall, for the same price, you do get two acoustic tracks that are unrehearsed and pretty good. Plus the "Underneath It All" video is great. And I don't know what the last review was talking about, saying that the tracks are mixed up. Completely untrue. Disc one has the same 13 tracks the orginal version has. Disc two is simply two bonus tracks and a music video that plays in your computer. So if you have the original version, don't worry too much about getting this, but if you haven't picked up the kick a** "Rock Steady" album yet, why not get this version that has some extra stuff for the same price? The songs are great. Highlights are "Hella Good", "Hey Baby", "Making Out", "Underneath It All", "Detective", "Don't Blow It", and "Running".

I have been a fan of No Doubt for over 10 years - This album, though not NEARLY close to thweir best - is great...if you like dancehall reggae and club music. If you are an old school no doubt fan (Beacon street, self titled, etc...) it might take some getting used to. Definately less depressing than Return of Saturn, not as punky as Tragic Kingdom, nothing close to Beacon Street or the self-titled album....

It's good. Plain and simple.

OK, we know No Doubt is a good band. Tragic Kingdom was all kinds of fun. It had a great punk/ska feel. Return of Saturn was amazing! It was one of my 2 top-rated CDs. It was fun sometimes, but thoughtful also and very mature. In light of the fact the No Doubt has so much talent, I have to ask: What are they trying to pull?

First of all, theyre the most major sell-outs in the music business. This is absolute pop. It isnt even worthy of the title pop-rock, just pop. There were warning signs, what with Gwen Stefani going on Eve videos wearing virtually nothing and other such things, but this...If you just exchanged Britney Spears for Gwen Stefani in her latest videos, it would fit PERFECTLY, the difference being that Gwen doesnt have implants (yet). The song Hey Baby is an abomination, no less.

Secondly, the music. Middle-school dances and pop radio stations around the world rejoice, you just got several new songs to play OVER and OVER until fans of real music are smashing their speakers. Hey Baby isnt just a hit to make the record sell, its very representative of the whole CD, by which I mean synthesized to the point of being fake. Where Return of Saturn was pretty deep, this is just ludicrously shallow. ("And the girls say/girls say/Hey baby, hey baby, hey/And the boys say/boys say...") I could cry.

Last, the band, Gwen not included. Why are they even still there? They play, but due to synthesizer it just doesnt sound genuine, and with the pathetic amount of spotlight theyre getting, I doubt anybody, even Gwen, would notice if they all just sort of evaporated. People who hadnt heard of No Doubt but had the radio on would seriously think it was just some pop star, not a band, playig Hey Baby. I didnt know that song was No Doubt the first time I heard it. Underneath it All is the least shallow and therefore closest to old No Doubt song on the CD, and the video is so bad its almost like theyre trying to make the one good song look like trashy pop like all the rest.

So my verdict is, this makes me sick. Who would have thought the mighty would fall so far! The worst part is, this is their best selling CD. They (Gwen) sold out 100% and were ENCOURAGING it! Pop fans should LOVE this CD, but old No Doubt fans, or fans who like real music at all, should not waste their money. If you dont have their old CDs, GO BUY THOSE! Leave this one alone.

Closing Comments:The way Gwen dresses, I get the feeling she thinks shes hot stuff. Somebody ought to wake her up.