No Doubt

Tragic Kingdom

Good Stuff

Review Score:

(8/10)
When I first heard this album, I gave it to my sister. I hated it. It's not that I was never into ska, but this album at first, did nothing for me, and for probably about two years, I did not think much of No Doubt, or give them much of a chance. My reasoning at the time, having only listened to "Tragic Kingdom" once, and burnt on the overplayed "Don't Speak", was that Gwen Stefani sounded a little whiny and annoying to me.

I don't know if I could ever pin point the day I started to unconsciously scheme to get the CD back from my sister. I am not a thief and would never steal from anyone, much less my baby sister, but I had heard a few tracks off of "Tragic Kingdom" at some point, and I felt this need to hear more. I did the right thing, and I bought the CD instead.

"Just A Girl", despite intense airplay, is a song near and dear to my heart. I love this song, and count it as my favorite by this band because every girl has felt this way at one time or another. In this song, Stefani lets loose that rage familiar to all women, and it feels good. The entire album is truly tragic. The themes of heartbreak reflect what Stefani was suffering at the time, adding a classic tortured air to this effort that I have seen in few albums to date, Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" being at the forefront of that short list.

Gwen Stefani has a strange voice. On some songs, she sounds pretty darn good, while on others, she seems whiny or like she is trying to be some sort of Betty Boop character. On this album, the music and the lyrics transcend the whine to make for addictive listening.

There are other ska acts out there that are more talented and more fun to listen to, but No Doubt is a solid, entertaining band, and this CD is an example of some of their best.

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