Disco de Gwen Stefani: “Sweet Escape”

Gwen Stefani is one of the most exciting artists working in the mainstream. She oozes style in just about everything she does, while her music is consistently innovative and always inventive.

The former No Doubt lead singer showed with her debut solo album "Love Angel Music Baby" that she had what it takes to compete at the forefront of the mainstream scene, mixing it capably with the likes of Madonna, Pink and Beyonce yet delivering things in a style that was distinctly her own.

Sophomore album "The Sweet Escape" maintains those high standards and proves that her debut was no fluke. It's a fantastic listen, capable of widespread crossover appeal and almost certain to fall prey to flattering imitations.

It impresses from the outset, kicking off with the brilliant lead single "Wind It Up" and tossing in one hit after another in a number of different styles.

"Wind It Up", in particular, is a highlight that's sure to become a signature tune for the artist. With its cheeky "Sound Of Music" sample wrapped around a more distinct tub-thumping beat (think "Hollaback Girl"), it's an absolute riot of energy that appeals to the childlike dancer in every one of us. You'll be foot-tapping and hip-swaying along with its infectious energy in spite of any reservations you may feel. But it's Stefani's gift that she can take something that, on paper, sounds cheesy and make it utterly, utterly cool.

Thereafter, it's a thrilling and eclectic mix packed with the usual smattering of high-profile collaborations - but crucially, with some surprise additions.

Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley provides a telling contribution to "Early Winter", a thrilling keyboard-based ballad that finds Stefani at her most intimate and lovely, while Akon's distinct rapping style works well on the album's title track, the thrilling "Sweet Escape".

"4 In The Morning" is another heart-melter of a track, a slow-burner built around some lush electronic soundscapes, a swooning set of vocals and some well-realised strings. It's one for the romantically inclined and a track that serves as a nice contrast to the more boisterous, semi-rap style of dancefloor fillers such as "Now That You Got It" and "Orange County Girl".

Another highlight is the high-tempo, percussion heavy "Yummy", a duet with Pharrell that finds Stefani at her most sassy and, well, yummy vocally. It drops in a sample of "Wind It Up" but in no way feels like a lazy retread of former hits. The chorus, too, provides an example of the artist pushing the pop boundaries to pleasing effect.

The same applies to the effortlessly hip vibe surrounding "Fluorescent", another contagious offering that gets better and better the more you hear it, and the dark, grinding "Breakin' Up", which finds the singer at her most feisty and defiant. Both tracks hint at the new directions taken by both Madonna and Nelly Furtado, albeit with Stefani's distinct spin.

There's a sweet '80s vibe surrounding final track "Wonderful Life" that's also engaging, while the live version of "Wind It Up" that brings things to a close is utterly enchanting.

Like we said, this is an inspirational piece of work that makes Stefani's artistic brilliance impossible to escape. Our advice is to shell out and enjoy - it's one of the hippest releases of the year.Jack Foley.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I, like so many others, am a huge fan of Gwen Stefani's solo debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. It has been one of my favorite guilty pleasures since the day I got it. Such a great, refeshing, fun pop sound. And when I heard she was working on her next solo record, naturally I was excited. I was also extremely curious as to what direction she would go in, because I had a hunch that Gwen wouldn't want to simply do another album that sounded exactly the same as its predecessor. I figured she wold branch out. Anyway, when I discovered the first single had dropped, "Wind It Up", I eagerly listened to it...and found myself in shock. Not the good kind either. In fact, by the time the chorus rolled around, I was actually covering my ears and I had to turn it off. After a while, after hearing the song on radio and seeing the video a couple of times, it began to grow on me. The first time I heard the entire album, I must say I was also disappointed. I thought a few tracks were incredible but as a whole, it seemed very bad, especially compared to the masterpiece that is L.A.M.B. However, began listenng to it over and over, and just like "Wind It Up" did, it grew on me and now I love it. My point is, if you don't like this at first, give it time. You might find yourself loving it. I know I did. And I will without hesitation say it's better than the first. They're both very different, however. This record definitely has another sound and focus than L.A.M.B. Now a track-by-track review...

1.)Wind It Up-The first single. Like I said, I hated it at first, but hate has become love. Unique, awesome beats. Very catchy.

2.)The Sweet Escape featuring Akon-If I'm not mistaken, this has been announced as the second single. Very catchy and sugary-sweet, yet somewhat of a twist for Gwen. The chorus is vaguely reminiscent of the 80's.

3.)Orange County Girl-A simple hip/hop/pop song. Consists of a beat and piano. Very Brooke Hogan. I think this should be a single for sure. It's Hollaback Girl Part 2, in my opinion, only better.

4.)Early Winter-AMAZING song!! Gwen co-wrote this with Tim Rice-Oxley from the popular band Keane. It has an 80's indie feel to it. Emotional and powerful. The lyrics are good as well. "It's sad/a map of the world is on you/The moon gravitates around you/the seasons escape you." Beautiful-one of my favorites.

5.)Now That You Got It-The only word that can appropriately describe this song, and I hate to say it because I think it's a stupid expression, is hot. Hot beat, catchy. The bridge is hilarious. This song also has the alarm sample used in songs like Beyonce's "Ring the Alarm." But I think it works best in this song. Awesome track, all-in-all.

6.)4 in the Morning-Another highlight. An absolutely gorgeous song, co-written with fellow No Doubt-er Tony Kanal. Good beat, beautiful synths, beautiful chorus, just wow. Gwen has also said this is her favorite song on the album. It's easy to see why.

7.)Yummy featuring Pharrell-Ok, I have NO idea why, but I absolutely LOVE this song! It's so fun and cute! Another unique beat, and the lyrics are so funny. Yes, it is mostly talking/rap with a few verses of singing, but I adore it. I can't seem to get tired of it or get it out of my head. Another fave.

8.)Fluorescent-I was surprised when I heard this, because it sounds like it could be on L.A.M.B. It's 80's Madonna/dance pop-esque. One of only three tracks that could have possibly been on the first album. I like it a lot. And I love the line, "and as I watch you sleep in the dimlight/I closemy eyes and pray/another fluorescent night/yeah, you and I."

9.)Breakin' Up-Ok, like other reviewers, I didn't like this one either when I first heard it. It's your typical hip/hop R&B song, with a regular beat and piano. Yes, it is repetitive, but I love it. Very different for Gwen, although since it's co-written with Pharrell, I guess it shouldn't surprise me so much. Like "Yummy," this is another song that I LOVE and I'm not sure why. Another favorite.

10.)Don't Get It Twisted-This song is so creative and inventive. The chorus is bouncy but not typical at all. I'd say this is the "Serious" of The Sweet Escape.

11.)U Started It-Like "Fluorescent", this track could also have been on L.A.M.B. It combines 80's pop with a bit of a soul/Neptunes sound. Good. Although Pharrell's part in this song seems a bit unneccessary. Just let Gwen sing, ok, "P?"

12.)Wonderful Life-Ohhh...this song is SOOOOO AMAZING!!! Another favorite. This could also have possibly been on L.A.M.B., although it's much better than anything from that record. Co-written with Linda Perry, it's kind of 80's electropop and the song has a dark, bittersweet, longing feel to it. It's as if Gwen is struggling through the ennui and darkness that threatens to drag her down to sing, "It's a wonderful, wonderful life." If only singing it could make it so.

I'm sorry this review is so long-winded, but I think this album is great and contrary to what everyone else seems to believe, Gwen did a great job. The Sweet Escape is NO sophomore slump. Give it a fair chance and if you truly liked Gwen's music before, there's no reason why you won't like this record.

PUT ON REPEAT:

Wind It Up

Early Winter

4 in the Morning

Yummy

Breakin' Up

Wonderful Life

PUSH THE BACK BUTTON:

The Sweet Escape

Orange County Girl

Now That You Got It

Fluorescent

Don't Get It Twisted

U Started It

PUSH THE SKIP BUTTON:

None!

To be exact, I rate this album with 3.5 stars, but I've decided to round it off to 4 instead of just 3 stars. I'm not sure if i'm too biased or anything, but to be honest, similar to the many reviews on Amazon.com awarding "The Sweet Escape" with 1- and 2-star ratings, I actually DID feel like this album was an absolutely terrible one.

Upon my first listen, I thought the album was... passable (2.5 stars, that is) due to a few good tracks. The first single 'Wind It Up' was what attracted me to buy the album, but soon after, i realised that the song wasn't really worth the buck for this album.

People may say that the lack of creativity (in terms of both LYRICS and TUNE/BEATS) have caused the poor performance of "The Sweet Escape", but after one or two listens, i finally caught on. In my own words, this album is probably not one of the best albums of our time, but it is certainly a guilty pleasure...

#1: Wind It Up (7/10) Creative it may seem... but truth be told, it is simply a poorer and weirder rehash of "Hollaback Girl"

#2: Sweet Escape (8/10) Soothing chorus with a feel-good song opener (courtesy of Akon). A nice blend of hip-hop and pop.

#3: Orange County Girl (7.5/10) Ok, i know that the chorus and Gwen's attempt at rapping is laughably bad, but take the verses (which were angsty, well-performed... and at the same time nonsensicle) into consideration!

#4: Early Winter (8.5/10) One of the better songs on the album... it sounds so different from the other tracks.

#5: Now That U Got It (7.5/10) Don't take this song too seriously and the weirdness (and coolness) of the song will just get to you. Groovy!

#6: 4 in the morning (8/10) To put it simply -- a nice song.

#7: Yummy (8/10) Hot! Hot! Hot!... Despite the apparent similarities to Kelis' "Milkshake".

#8: Flourescent (7.5/10) An ok pop-electroclash song. Listenable.

#9: Breakin' Up (6/10) Some may say it is a smart song ("a kiss-off disguised as a fading phone call")... but then again, who the heck wants to ENJOY listening to this?! Gwen and Pharrell did something wrong here!

#10: Don't Get It Twisted (7/10) Very enjoyable as a song, but the lyrics are, er... rather difficult to comprehend. Was Gwen thinking at all?

#11: U Started It (7.5/10) A simple song with simple lyrics that is listenable. Nothing too bad about it.

#12: Wonderful Life (9/10) Hands-down the best song on the album (courtesy of Linda Perry, who worked with X-Tina). The opening tunes are just, er, wonderful! This song emits a slightly spooky, yet longing and sad resonance within.

On the whole, there were noticeably good (and not-so-good) songs, but "The Sweet Escape" is mostly recommended to be listened to on a cold day. Just sit back, open the lyrics booklet, and relax... (and skip track Number 9... don't say i didn't warn y'all)

I'll admit I did not "Love" this completely when I first bought it. But being a true fan I listened to it again a couple more times and each time I would be attracted to more songs, NOW I love it completely! I highly recommend you give it a chance. You won't regret it.

This CD is a big disappointment. I really liked her last CD but this one falls short. It doesn't flow well and some songs have sounds that you would make if you were cooing a baby. She talks about liking to ride, but I wouldn't be caught dead ridin' to this CD. Less motherhood, more rock please.