Gwen Stefani, my childhood icon, is back in action — and not just on The Voice. Girlfriend has a new album coming, and as much as I worship at the altar that is G. Stefani, I can’t help but wonder if she’s losing her golden girl California touch. After all,
Her new music doesn’t have the emotional depth of early No Doubt — not even close. In fact, it sounds like she’s trying to keep up with the pop starlets of right now, and it’s not really working. Gwen was always an icon of the underdogs. Gorgeous, but alternative enough that your Hot Topic-wearing self could still profess your adoration for her publicly. Now, she’s still chic as f., but her music is missing the human feelings of her earlier work. It’s like she disappointed me as she grew up, moving away from her ska-influenced Tragic Kingdom roots, to a world of Harajuku girls and sick beats. I feel like a parent who caught their child sneaking in after curfew (or at least, how I assume it feels). Slightly disappointed, but I’ll always love her.
Gwen’s new songs are fun, and you’d certainly dance along if it came on in the clurb, but that doesn’t mean it’s something to listen to regularly.
