No Doubt - Push and Shove

[POP!]

So how do we feel about the comeback that never quite happened. I feel as if no matter how good the actual album was, all the goodwill for a band's comeback album was squandered by years of delays, lack of visibility and a changing musical landscape where Gwen's solo career/hit-making was a stale concept from a few years back and No Doubt's legacy was not yet cemented in nostalgia.

The songs, IMO, were all there. Classic No Doubt sunny choruses, new wave and ska influences shifting to a more reggae meets pop aesthetic as Rock Steady hinted where they had left off. "Settle Down", though overlong in its full album form, had a beaming feel-good pop chorus that revisited that carefree Summer, celebratory sound of a classic No Doubt record. Even radio started to play "Settle Down" pretty fervently but all of that excitement quickly evaporated by the time of the album's release and it was instantly written off of history it seemed until that "Looking Hot" video/Native American controversy in teacup.

Anyway how do we feel about this album? I think there genuinely isn't a bad song on it. All of them have their charms, hooks, classic No Doubt quirks. It does occasionally veer into samey territory by the end before it gets into the 80s-nostalgia glitz of "Dreaming the Same Dream" but generally a wonderful affair and I'd thoroughly welcome a follow-up.

Settle Down
Looking Hot
One More Summer
Push and Shove
Easy
Gravity
Undercover
Undone
Sparkle
Heaven
Dreaming the Same Dream

 

[jivafox]

I haven't listened in a while actually, but it is a great album. I need to bring it out for the summer.

 

[POP!]

It reminds me of those early Fall 2012 runs outside with the first hint of crisp Autumn air when the wistful pop-melancholy of "One More Summer" comes on

 

[Penelope]

6/10 album, 12455/10 song

 

[ameraal]

i love it. for a moment i really thought it would be a (decent) hit but they just didn't capture the new generation's imagination and i'm not sure how much the casual fan from back in the day heard of it.

09 Settle Down
08 Looking Hot
07 One More Summer
10 Push and Shove
07 Easy
06 Gravity
10 Undercover
06 Undone
06 Sparkle
08 Heaven
07 Dreaming the Same Dream

 

[wildchild]

Overall a big disappointment for me ..with a few amazing highlights. It's sounds dated and poorly mixed. Many of the songs have great potential but were ruined by bad production. For instance Looking Hot where I think the instrumental and vocals are not in balance and Undercover which has amazing melodies but the productions is just EVIL. The live performances they did while performing this were an absolute mess.. and not just because of Gwen's vocals. I guess the only songs that get a 10 are P&S and Settle Down.

6/10 album, 12455/10 song

I agree. As disappointed as I was, at least there were a few amazing songs like this one. The band seemed to want Push & Shove as single and even did their own low budget music video for it. Tony's girlfriend recently posted the album cover and tagged #damnyouinterscope. It seems the band didn't quite get their way with the album. Diplo also hinted this in a recent interview.

10 Settle Down
08 Looking Hot
08 One More Summer
10 Push and Shove
09 Easy
03 Gravity
09 Undercover
09 Undone
03 Sparkle
03 Heaven
03 Dreaming the Same Dream

 

[ameraal]

i only realized push and shove had a video months after the whole thing was over!

 

[POP!]

The "Push & Shove" video was possibly the best thing about the entire campaign (not that there was much competition)- Gwen looked stunning in it

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hunha8UtqCk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Penelope]

Settle Down and Push and Shove were fucking fabulous. The rest was the most disappointing form possible of every tantalising description they put out before the campaign. Looking Hot and One More Summer could have been SO much better...

 

[POP!]

09 Settle Down
09 Looking Hot
10 One More Summer
10 Push and Shove
08 Easy
06 Gravity
07 Undercover
07 Undone
05 Sparkle
08 Heaven
09 Dreaming the Same Dream

That first verse of "Easy" is so lush:


Gonna put it over there
White flag in the air
Gonna get my way when I cease the fire
I wanna be with you
I'm droppin' everything

Love the seamlessly subtle shift from the R&B verses to the country/soft-rock breezy chorus

 

[straightorbroken]

Call me a modern Lady Jane, but:

09 Settle Down
10 Looking Hot
08 One More Summer
10 Push and Shove
10 Easy
10 Gravity
10 Undercover (usually my favourite)
07 Undone (unthinkable given how much that intro gets my juices flowing)
10 Sparkle (I'm glad Gwen can't get over her relationships, she's perfect at those can't-put-a-lid-on-it feelings you otherwise don't know what to do with)
10 Heaven (love the cutesy lo-fi disco vibe)
06 Dreaming the Same Dream

Even when it let's some air in, it's really assured and their most satisfying album as a whole, possibly because it sounds like it caters to no one but themselves. The ska doesn't quite come out to play, but there are enough glimmers of it here and there to make it feel nostalgic without coasting on it. The rattling vanity of Looking Hot was a terrible single choice, but "I can't tell anymore, I don't know what I'm looking for" is quite the surge of Gwen at her demented best. They probably could have took some outside help to bag a commercial hit (I don't think it would have been beyond them at all, which hopefully Gwen 3.0 will show), but I'm glad they made something so self-contained. For want of a better word, luxurious.

 

[ameraal]

i want to look down in your eyes
i want to take off your disguise

*.*

undercover is my fave as well. classic gwen.
always gets me.

 

[wildchild]

i want to look down in your eyes
i want to take off your disguise

*.*

undercover is my fave as well. classic gwen.
always gets me.

The HIGHLIGHT of the album for me is this part.

"Ohh I'm looking in your eyes, I want to grab you and I can't do it.."

 

[Ryan]

Far better than I expected it to be and I'm still FURIOUS that there were no UK gigs to support it

 

[jivafox]

Far better than I expected it to be and I'm still FURIOUS that there were no UK gigs to support it

YES what was this??

 

[wildchild]

They were going to go on world tour but after the album flopped and Looking Hot was completely ignored by everyone, the B&S era was axed.

 

[Beverley]

11 Looking Hot

 

[graves]

I do think had they released with a tour, or during festival season whilst reminding people of the back catalogue perhaps they would have stood a better shout.

I wonder of some of the material recorded after the album flopped sounded good enough the record company didn't want to risk releasing it as a no doubt record, with Gwen being the most bankable.

I thought she looked really uncomfortable performing on the voice. Her appearances during the reunion she seemed confident and energised.

 

[Jark]

6/10 album, 12455/10 song

Never a truer word spoken. Though perhaps even a 6 is generous. Apart from Settle, the title track and Easy, there's nothing to come back for.

Push & Shove (song) is a spectacular frenzy of dancehall magnificence

 

[Lockhart]

08 Settle Down
09 Looking Hot
09 One More Summer
10 Push and Shove
10 Easy
07 Gravity
08 Undercover
07 Undone
05 Sparkle
07 Heaven
09 Dreaming the Same Dream

I think Easy is probably my favourite thing on the album right now, but I played the shit out of it for about 6 months in 2012/13, so that's probably altered my views on it quite a bit.

 

[POP!]

Having quite the Summer moment to this album and I just realized it's FIVE YEARS OLD.

"Easy", "Looking Hot", "One More Summer", "Push and Shove" are my tracks of choice these days. I like "Settle Down" too of course but it seemed like the wrong single in hindsight.

 

[Pipo]

Settle Down is amazing. Proved daft Gwen still had (some of it) in her.
on the other hand, This is what whatever feels like (can't be arsed to look the title up) turned out to be a big fat disappointment and a load of shit bar RARE <3

 

[Peekaboo]

I still like this. It's a solid 8 and the two first singles are fantastic. Looking hot is just okay and the lyrics in the chorus are Madonna levels of embarrassing, which is unusual as she's a better lyricist than that. As a whole the album is frontloaded and most of the songs in the latter half BLEND INTO ONE. I do like Gravity too, reminds me of my time in Australia.

The band minus Gwen have reformed with a new singer under a new name (Dreamcar) and the album is SOLID. It's full of strong bass lines and synths, very early 80s



Obviously Gwen is irreplaceable but I think she has moved on To be honest I'd rather the guys continue to record music that means something to them rather than the FUCKING CRAP she farted last time. That country guy has ruined her

 

[straightorbroken]

Glad I was a contemporary fan. It really is a special record. They just needed to spike it with some singles.

 

[Halli]

This was a good album. Loved the singles and One More Summer

Its about time they did another

 

[Peekaboo]

They are not getting back together any time soon. There's some bad blood between Gwen and the guys, she won't admit to it and they're not high profile enough to make headlines about it but I think it started after this album was completed and she claimed she felt "guilt-tripped" into doing it. The whole thing came to blows later on when she did her Vegas residency singing No Doubt songs (which admittedly she had written), but apparently never asked the rest of the band for permission.

I think 2022 Gwen just doesn't have the time for her past, which is sad if nothing else musically.

 

[Jark]

Gwen is more than within her rights to perform No Doubt songs at her own tour / residency without asking permission. what a crock. I'm not sure that account is strictly right though – I read the bad blood developed when she said no to another tour with No Doubt after the Push and Shove era.

I think she also alluded to the studio sessions for Push and Shove being quite forced / the music not flowing naturally, which is always a big thing for Gwen. the creative process takes it out of her.

No Doubt were a great band, probably my personal favourite. would I kill for a tour if she was into it? absolutely. but the past should live in the past now if she's moved on with her life and career.

 

[straightorbroken]

I love the idea of Push and Shove feeling forced because hollering things like "wind it up" wasn't enough for the rest. I genuinely wouldn't have guessed though as Undercover just pours into my soul.