Push and Shove

by No Doubt

Overview

Underneath it all, underneath all the glamour and stardom, No Doubt remain a group of SoCal kids enraptured by the ska revival and new wave. That's their common language, so when they reunited for 2012's Push and Shove, their first album in over ten years, they returned to this shared bond, using it as a back-to-roots template for an album that deftly weaves in contemporary sounds without ever pandering. Part of this dexterity is due to No Doubt expanding their love of ska outward toward reggae and dancehall, underlining their affection with bouncing elastic rhythms and a heavy dose of patois -- nowhere more so than on the Major Lazer-assisted single "Push and Shove" -- a self-conscious move toward musical maturity that does indeed pay off as it plays like an affirmation of roots. Similarly, the cool, glassy gloss of their pop tunes and ballads -- "Gravity," "Undercover," "Heaven" -- feel connected to their grounding in early MTV; perhaps their natural ebullience has been tempered by age, but this remains the same stylish, hooky pop that turned No Doubt into unexpected superstars in the back half of the '90s. It is also the portion of Push and Shove that sounds closest to either of Gwen Stefani's solo albums of the new millennium, bringing to mind not the thumping dance of "Hollaback Girl" but rather the breeziness of "Sweet Escape" and "Cool." And that's the interesting thing about Push and Shove, for as much as there are clever contemporary flourishes -- the most notable being a passing collaboration with dance sensation Diplo -- this is a modest, mature comeback, highlighted by the band's keen awareness of their strengths and subtle, unstated acknowledgment of encroaching middle age. Gwen tackles this subject on "Looking Hot," where she wonders how much longer she can indulge in skintight clothes, but her band has already acknowledged they're no longer the young ska-punks they once were. They've turned into savvy old pros who know when to flex their muscle and when to lay back, and that canny musicality and camouflaged maturity make Push and Shove a satisfying comeback. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/25/2012
Label:	Interscope
UPC:	0602537124220

Tracks

1. Settle Down
2. Looking Hot
3. One More Summer
4. Push and Shove
5. Easy
6. Gravity
7. Undercover
8. Undone
9. Sparkle
10. Heaven
11. Dreaming the Same Dream

Album Credits

Performance Credits

No Doubt   Primary Artist
Major Lazer   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Busy Signal   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Anthony Gorry   Keyboards
Stephen Hilton   Strings,Keyboards
Stephen Bradley   Trumpet,Castanets,Vocals (Background)
Gabrial McNair   Trombone,Keyboards,Vocals (Background),Piano,Strings,Melodica
David Emery   Keyboards
Wayne Wilkins   Keyboards
David Moyer   Sax (Baritone)
Gwen Stefani   Vocals
Adrian Young   Drums,Shaker,Percussion,Tambourine
Tom Dumont   Guitar,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Tony Kanal   Guitar (Bass)
Jonas Quant   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Thomas Wesley Pentz   Composer
Mark Williams   A&R
Pierre Eiras   Studio Assistant
Fabien Waltmann   Programming
Stephen Hilton   Programming
Kevin Mills   Studio Assistant
Louis Henry Sarmiento II   Mixing Engineer
Greg Collins   Vocal Engineer,Vocal Recording
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing,Producer
Anthony Gorry   Programming,Additional Production
Donnie Spada   Backline Technician
El Mac   Cover Painting
David James Andrew Taylor   Composer
Diplo   Engineer
R. Gordon   Composer
David Emery   Programming
Brian Gardner   Mastering
Wayne Wilkins   Programming
No Doubt   Producer
Neil Kanal   Engineer,Programming
Adam Ant   Composer
Gwen Stefani   Composer,Group Member
Adrian Young   Group Member
Tom Dumont   Composer,Group Member
David A. Stewart   Composer
Ariel Rechtshaid   Composer,Engineer,Additional Production
Marco Pirroni   Composer
Tony Kanal   Composer,Group Member
Reanno Gordon   Composer
Matty Green   Mixing,Engineer
Kiki Cholewka   Studio Assistant
Dave Taylor   Composer
Jolie Clemens   Art Direction
Daniel Jensen   Backline Technician
Rouble Kapoor   Studio Assistant
Emily Frye   Art Direction
Major Lazer   Mixing,Producer
Jonas Quant   Programming
Yu Tsai   Photography
Shane C. Brown   Engineer