Icon

by No Doubt

Overview

No Doubt's 2010 installment in Universal's ongoing Icon series is a retitled reissue of the excellent 2003 compilation The Singles 1992-2003. Spanning 15 tracks, the disc is sequenced like a concert, favoring forward momentum over chronological history, and that's a point in its favor since it shines a spotlight on individual songs, not eras. More than anything, this highlights No Doubt's consistency as a singles band, since the defining breakthrough single, "Just a Girl," is as exciting as both the band's pre-fame "Trapped in a Box" and the sexy neo-electro grind of "Hella Good." It also shows that even if lead singer Gwen Stefani grew increasingly assured and sexier over the years (compare the seductive "Underneath It All" to the breathy, naive "Don't Speak") and even if she was always rightly the focal point, the band itself is a muscular, versatile, tuneful outfit, rooted in ska revivals like "Spiderwebs" but equally convincing when turning out spiky pop like the glorious "New," the hard-rocking "Sunday Morning" and "Ex-Girlfriend," the sighing ballad "Simple Kind of Life," or the rubbery, reggae-inflected "Hey Baby." All these hits are here on Icon, along with expertly selected album tracks and concert favorites, plus a fine cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" that makes the group's new wave influences explicit. There's not one major song missing, and the whole package is solid proof that few post-alternative bands were as joyous a singles band as No Doubt. It's a great collection -- the kind of compilation that satisfies fans of all stripes and converts skeptics. It's the greatest-hits package that they deserve. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/02/2010
Label:	Interscope
UPC:	0602527472522

Tracks

1. Just a Girl
2. It's My Life
3. Hey Baby
4. Bathwater
5. Sunday Morning
6. Hella Good
7. New
8. Underneath It All
9. Excuse Me Mr.
10. Running
11. Spiderwebs
12. Simple Kind of Life
13. Don't Speak
14. Ex-Girlfriend
15. Trapped in a Box

Album Credits

Performance Credits

No Doubt   Primary Artist
Eric Stefani   Piano,Keyboards
Phil Jordan   Trumpet
Gabrial McNair   Trombone,Keyboards,Mellotron,Synthesizer,Piano
Matthew Wilder   Keyboards
Django Stewart   Saxophone
Don Hammerstedt   Trumpet
Andy Potts   Saxophone
Eric Carpenter   Saxophone
Melissa Hasin   Cello
Gwen Stefani   Vocals
Adrian Young   Drums,Percussion
Tom Dumont   Guitar,Keyboards
Tony Kanal   Keyboards,Saxophone,Guitar (Bass)
Stephen Perkins   Drums (Steel)
Bounty Killer   Featured Artist
Alex Henderson   Trombone
Stephen Bradley   Trumpet
Lady Saw   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Dito Godwin   Producer
Greg Collins   Engineer
Eric Stefani   Composer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing,Additional Production
Sean Beavan   Sonic Manipulation
Jerry Harrison   Producer
No Doubt   Producer
Philip Steir   Programming,Additional Production
Karl Derfler   Engineer
Matt Hyde   Engineer
Wayne Jobson   Executive Producer
Michael Carnevale   Engineer
Gabrial McNair   Horn Arrangements
Scott Campbell   Engineer
Phil Kaffel   Engineer
Matthew Wilder   Producer
David Treahearn   Mixing Assistant
Tony Ferguson   A&R
Rory Baker   Engineer
Fabien Waltman   Programming
Matt Fields   Mixing Assistant
Jolie Clemens   Design,Art Direction
Stephanie Hsu   Photo Coordination
Ian Rossiter   Assistant Engineer
Dan Chase   Engineer
Tkae Mendez   Engineer
Nelle Hooper   Producer
Mark Williams   A&R
Toby Whalen   Assistant Engineer
Ned Douglas   Programming
Anthony Kilhoffer   Assistant Engineer
Alain Johannes   Engineer
Gwen Stefani   Composer
Tom Dumont   Engineer,Programming
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner   Mastering
Bryan Carrigan   Engineer
Stuart Price   Programming
George Landress   Engineer
Keith Uddin   Mixing Assistant
Glen Ballard   Producer
Holman   Mixing
Tony Kanal   Engineer,Programming
Sly & Robbie   Producer
Paul Palmer   Mixing
Sly Dunbar   Programming
Simon Gogerly   Engineer
Kevin Mills   Assistant Engineer
Jack Joseph Puig   Mixing
Brian Jobson   Executive Producer