No Doubt- Rocksteady

Rocksteady is No Doubt's fourth album. It was released in 2001, one year after Return Of The Saturn (it surprised me to learn this, I always thought there was a much bigger gap between the two). It is also the last album before Gwen Stefani left to persue her solo career, and Rocksteady represents a shift from the ska/punk/pop sound of No Doubt's previous albums. The new style was more commercially driven and features more synth-pop and electronic influences.

Jamaican music still has a prescence on the album, though, this time in more rocksteady, dancehall and reggae forms. I must admit, I'm poorly qualified to review this album, since I have very little understanding of many of the genres it references, such as 80s pop, dancehall, drum'n'bass and synth-pop.

The first six songs are easy. Hella Good is a great party anthem, then and now. Hey Baby was also a pop hit, although 12 years on, the appeal has somehow worn off. Making Out is more lighthearted pop goodness, with some nice hooks. Underneath it All is a beautifully simple reggae ballad, which I dare not over-intellectualise. Detective has a great groove but the vocals in the chorus are a bit too Atomic Kitten for my liking. And Don't Let Me Down reflects the style of their previous album, Return of the Sat, but with a bit more electronic craziness dialled in.

But then we are taken on a genre-bending adventure which is lost on me. Start the Fire (dancehall), Running (synth-pop), Waiting Room (drum'n'bass) and Rock Steady (reggae? dancehall?) might either terrible ripoffs or brilliant fusions of the respective genres, I wouldn't know. But kudos to the band for dishing out a bit of musical education on a pop record.

Recording quality is great. It has a polished "pop" sound, yet the bass still has good weight to it.

Favourite songs

Hella Good, Making Out, Underneath it All

Worthwhile?

I dunno. There's a handful of catchy tunes on the album, but the appeal never goes deeper than that.