Gwen Stefani
Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
(Interscope)
Gwen Stefani’s LAMB is inevitably going to disappoint No Doubt fans, but if you go in with an open mind, you might be surprised at what you find. Stefani steps away from the No Doubt shadow and emerges with an album best described as “Bubble Pop Electric” (an aptly titled track). She fuses hip-hop with the kinetic energy of ’80s new wave pop (Cyndi Lauper) and electro-pop of the ’90s. LAMB is an album that only Stefani could record, a fun, quirky and undeniably catchy solo debut.
—Trevor Savory