The Sweet Escape

After her last record swamped the airwaves with marching band beats and irresistible hooks, Gwen Stefani delivers a Sweet Escape with her next record and even calls on Julie Andrews films for inspiration.

The Sweet Escape, Gwen’s second solo effort, finds the Hollaback Girl working once again with No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, as well as Outkast’s Andre 3000 and hitmakers The Neptunes, who produced the album’s first single “Wind It Up.”

The song mixes The Neptunes’ trademark beats with Gwen’s familiar cheerleader delivery, and even features a yodeling sample of “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music.

Gwen follows the same diverse formula of retro pop as her hugely successful debut record. The title track and second single from the album fuses a chorus as catchy as any early 90s Madonna song with the funky bounce of an Outkast record, a combination ensuring another hit from Escape. “4 in the Morning,” a collaboration with Kanal, is one of the few tracks where Gwen makes herself emotionally vulnerable on the album, and almost makes one yearn for a more introspective Gwen with its moving melody. But tracks like “Yummy” make it clear exactly where Gwen’s strengths lie: outrageous party tracks showcasing limitless novelty, which Escape continues to make use of for our listening pleasure. So, get out your credit card, pick up the album, and give it a listen!