Return of Saturn - No Doubt

I’ve heard a few bad reviews on this album but after each listen I can easily rate the feel good factor of Return of Saturn, unknowingly above both Tragic Kingdom & Rock Steady. Now don’t get it twisted, these 3albums together easily rate as the most unique, fabulously worded, feel good albums of all time, but if I had to pick JUST ONE to accompany me on a desert island, Return of Saturn would be the only survival guide I needed! As a neurotic Hispanic sista, I can relate to Gwen’s crooning on EVERY song&believe me, that gives me security. Feeling down about your love life? Thrown on R.O.S &be detoxed. That aint an album mami, that’s a survival kit!

The album kicks off with a bang! The upbeat, rock chick attitude of Gwen’s in-ya-face Ex-Girlfriend is enough to make any hater a fan. That’s the great thing about No Doubt. Not only is every song completely different, but every album is like opening a present….u don’t what ya gonna get.Uthink ya know, but u don’t. Tey’re like no ther band. Their mood changes quicker thaan Madonnas&each song is a lil piece of gold. Played beginning to end, there’s hardly ant need for skipping &unlike other albums..no filler tracks or skits. From start to finish, each song is a cLASSIC> That’s special.

Simple Kind of Life is a Betty Boop ballad in signature whining nurturing Gwen style&although not in the punky style of alotof the album, its rocks like a baby’s crib, with a cetain opposing edge of insanity coveyed by her melancholy lyrical field

The album follows on like a Powerpuff Girl’s Mills&Boon spin. The break up on Ex-Girlfriend to her regretful life direction on Simple Kind, to Bathwater…the part Gwen realizes herself she is being a lil too indulgent in depression. This isn’t a depressing song though&is probably the most poppy, light &upbeat of the whole LP. “I just love to bathe in your old bathwater/love to think that u couldn’t love another/onyour list with all your other women” she bops.

Six Feet Under is next. A heavy indie tune, apparently written on her birthday. After that is Magic in The Make-Up which although has an interesting concept on the role make up plays heavily in a chica’s life, isn’t the best song &Six Feet Under’s a lil too repetitive&superficial lyrics wise, though kinda catchy still.

Artificial Sweetener is split personality&FABOLOUS! It starts out with two dimensions…thrashing guitar riffs cut with smooth electronics.Each verse is the calm before a storm vefore the chorus rips through &swirls u up into a hurricane, before it drops you back down to calm then repeats.

Marry Me flows like Kewpie doll hair..it’s a ballad but has faboulous sound effects&a 80’s electronica feel.Gwen sounds calm on this track as she whines about marriage. It really is a lovely song, often undersstimated or dismissed on reviews.

New is CLASSIC PUNK ELECTRONICA. It was featured in the movie Go! &is PERFECT soundtrack material. Next to Don’t Speak (Tragic Kingdom) this is a CLASSIC! I fell in love with wit this track &I’m still in s love affair with it. I need not say more…listen to it. Love it.

Too Late sizzles. Like a tiger trying to escape. Gwen’s remisin I think on a relationship gone wrong &is true No Doubt ballad with an indie tinge.It’s classical background makes for originality &a thriving for uniquality The finale of the track is that tiger escaping. Another underestimated track.

Comforting Lie follows the same path as Artificial Sweetener with its split personality. Gwen does what she does best, style wise her..punkified rock chick.

Suspension Without Suspense. This isn’t one of the best &probably my least favourite. Gwen doesn’t sound her best here&it seems to drag on too long.

Staring Problem is the CRAZIEST song. Punk to the max Gwen is paranoid, reflective &neurotic here. It’s a cool track that grows on you ober time. Very ska-punk.

Home Now….WOW, what can I say. It nearly overtakes Don’t Speak as their best song. It can make me cry for noreal reason..its not partculaly slow or melancholy &its not loud or punky. It’s mid way&it sizzles &burns with beuatu.Gwen sounds FAB here…Her vocal range is amazing&if Gwen was on Fame Academy&she sang this she’d be bigger than earth itself in a day This should have been a single..believe me I cant sell this song enough..u gotta hear it. It really is little piece of gold.

Dark Blue is a lil like Suspension without Supspense..it drags a little in my opinion&isn’t really fitted anywhere. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice song, just after Home Now, nothing seems good enough!

The bonus track Big Distraction is like most bonus tracjks I’ve heard…straight up fantadic&I always wonder why they were never added as main tracks. As per the lyrics, this rolls like an avalanche…Gwen doesn’t stop for a breath..its very Tragic Kingdom in my view..really heavy punk feel good track best played full blast!!

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After a well deserved break, No Doubt Returned with their forth album entitled Return Of Saturn, although a strange title, this album is once again crammed with hits!

This was the second album of No Doubts that I bought which included the great come-back single ''New'' which is a great fast dance type rock track which is still one of my all time faves!

Follow-ups to the return single failed to impress or make it into the top 10. Other releases included Simple Kind Of Life and Marry Me both good tracks but not in my view the best off this album.

Tracks that Impress me especially are Bathwater a boppy little number and a classic in my view, Six feet Under with great Drumming from the band member Adrian Young. Suspension is another great with a spingy sound at the begining which seems really strange in sounding.

Gwen sings quite a few songs on this album with a less rough voice which is a good contrast giving a more mellower sound.All tracks once more have their own contribution to make to this superb.

This album contains a bonus track called Big Distraction which is also good and is a added bonus.This album although went rather un-noticed in the charts, heralds a return for the band which hopefully will keep on churning out pure tracks like this again.

Lets hope for a new album soon!

This finally completes my opinions on all four albums by No Doubt! I hope I have done them justice. They are fantastic with sublime and thought provoking lyrics, they can't do no wrong!

READ THIS! If you have the album or I have Pursuaded you to get this one, Leave the CD play after the bonus track (15) and you will discover another Bonus Track! Yes Another bonus track which is an instrumental track (a contrasting classically sounding track)finishing off the album perfectly!

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