WITH POWDER BLUE LOCKS AND MIDRIFF FOR DAYS, GWEN STEFANI SET THE BLUEPRINT FOR THE ALT-ROCK IT-GIRL IN THE ‘90S, BUT DECADES LATER, THE NOW 55-YEAR-OLD PUNK-POP PRIESTESS STILL COMMANDS THE SPOTLIGHT WITH YOUTHFUL EASE
BY DAN SALAMONE.
Imagine, in the late-90s, if someone had asked you: “Amongst the ‘90s crop of KROQ all-stars dominating modern-rock radio, which one will still be a mega-star in 2025?” You would very likely have provided a few dozen other names before landing on the one whose stardom has proven most resilient to the ravages of time and cultural/musical change. You might’ve quite guessed The Red Hot Chili Peppers or The Strokes, both of whom have done an excellent job of parlaying the strength of their best (i.e. early) albums into headlining festivals all the way into today. You could’ve guessed Coldplay or Green Day, who’ve parlayed their piggy-backing styles (Coldplay as “U2 with all the feels,” Green Day as “The Clash set as maximum earworm”) into still-top 10 charting new records of varying quality.
But among all those very reasonable responses, you’d be leaving out the chameleon who dominated modern rock, dance, soul, and ‘80s-style power ballads (not to mention TV stardom) for literally 35 years now: Ms. Gwen Renée Stefani.
As someone fascinated by KROQ (basically the queen bee of modern rock radio) in the ‘90s, I assumed Gwen/No Doubt was going to be a one-trick pony, riding the powerful back of mega-single “Just a Girl” into a career of ever-more faded facsimiles until they were just the top of the bill on ‘90s ska-revival tours, sharing the stage with other once-was-ers The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and Sweep The Leg Johnny. But listening to her newest record November ‘24’s Bouquet I’m reminded how many of her songs are still in my playlists and in heavy rotation on stations I listen to today. In addition to “Just A Girl,” she’s responsible for “Don’t Speak,” “Hollaback Girl,” “Wind It Up,” “4 in the Morning,” “Now That You Got It,” “Let Me Reintroduce Myself,” “The Sweet Escape,” “Simple Kind of Life,” “What You Waiting For,” and the only good cover ever of “It’s My Life.” (By the way, if you want to hear the most perfect union of artist and dance remixer, check out all of Gwen’s collaborations with Jacque Lu Cont, including the last two songs listed above all still incredible.)
Because of the cowboy hat Gwen sports on the cover of the new record, people assumed she was following Bey into country music. Heck, her beau Blake Shelton (a C&W hall of famer himself ) sings on one of the record’s bigger singles, “Purple Irises.” Yet to listen to it along with interviews with Gwen, this isn’t her country album. That seems a too-easy segue for someone with her diverse talent. No, Gwen intended this new album to be her love letter to ‘70s/‘80s yacht rock, and you can hear every ounce of her affection for that genre. The songs all sparkle with crystalline production, her distinctive voice pushed far forward in the mix, every melody designed to circle pleasantly around your brain until the inevitable massive sing-along chorus crashes in. That yacht-rock style far outweighs the speck of country DNA throughout the record, and the DNA that is here is mainly a tip to the bastardized (for better and worse) super-poppy country that now fills arenas. That stuff is more pop music than the traditional “country” style that modern country and Western stars still purport to represent, leading one to deduce that today’s “traditional” country is more about clinging to regressive politics than any sincere affinity for the deep heritage of the genre.
Gwen’s songwriting fodder has certainly shifted since she donned blue hair. As Sal Cinquemani pointed out in his review of Bouquet in Slant Magazine, there’s something a little jarring about hearing the singer of the overtly feminist “Just A Girl” suddenly cooing about finding her worth in marriage. That said, one feels obliged to be sympathetic to someone who’s so honestly happy to finally be in a healthy, loving relationship. And with songs as joyously catchy as those on the new record, we’re happy she decided to share it with us.
Gwen Stefani