Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

Details: Released: 12.5.06 1Disc/12 Tracks/47:05
Interscope Records

Tracks:
1. Wind it Up 3:09
2. The Sweet Escape 4:06
3. Orange County Girl 3:23
4. Early Winter 4:44
5. Now That You Got it 2:59
6. 4 in the Morning 4:51
7. Yummy 4:57
8. Fluorescent 4:18
9. Breakin' Up 3:46
10. Don't Get it Twisted 3:37
11. U Started it 3:08
12. Wonderful Life 3:58
Non-US Bonus, Miscellaneous, B-Sides, Unreleased & Rarities:
1. Candyland 1:50 (sample used at the LAMB fashion show-Stefani's fashion line)
2. Sparkle (view this title on the early track list here)
3. All Nighter (Stefani collaboration)
4. Average Guy (David A. Stewart)
5. Boom (Dallas Austin)
6. Can't Stop The Music (Linda Perry)
7. Carousel (Pharrell Williams)
8. Criminal (Linda Perry)
9. Fine By You (Linda Perry)
10. Information (Dallas Austin
11. Not Enough Time (Tim Rice-Oxley)
12. The Girl Inside (Tim Rice-Oxley)
13. Parental Advisory (Richard Harrison)
Factoids, Extras & Eggs
1. Originally the album was planned to be released as "L.A.M.B., Part 2."
2. Stefani shelved a good chunk of material, including "Fine By You," the first song she wrote with Linda Perry; "Wonderful Life," (a song which was left off the other album to keep it fun, and may have motivated the new album) another Perry track featuring Depeche Mode's Martin Gore on guitar; and "Parental Advisory," written with Rich Harrison.
3. Tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, & 13 are newly recorded for the album.

My Comments
The news was not a surprise that Gwen Stefani's newest solo album was not only delayed (gave birth May 26 to first child, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale) and that it would include plenty of leftover tracks from the Love.Angel.Music.Baby recordings. But as it turns out, she has some leftover tracks from the Sweet Escape sessions. She told MTV News, "I don't really know what will happen with those other songs, there's probably about 10 left over. I could (make) an album with them really fast! So we'll see what happens, I mean you can always use them for something at some point or I could just listen to them myself and be greedy." In the meantime it appears she has a greater interest to collaborate on a new album (since 2001's Rock Steady) with No Doubt.
Album cover and details: none yet...
So here we go, my thoughts of some of my favorites off the album (and other material released around the albums timeframe):
"Wind it Up" has the appealing Marching Band-like sound to it, and also feels like it reflects current popculture with yoddling included (reminds me of the little yoddling girl who took first place on televisions America's Got Talent). It also samples part of 'The Lonely Goatherd' from The Sound of Music.
"Early Winter" has a soothing female 80's U2 weight on it and comes off just nicely. In an interview, Gwen Stefani discussed her collaboration with Keane star Tim Rice-Oxley. She explained, "I wanted a ballad. I wanted to write 'Eyes Without A Face' or 'Killing Me Softly' or 'Time After Time,' and he was like, 'OK, Cyndi Lauper, got it,' like he was taking my order."
"Now That You Got it" has a chorus that makes you want to mash it with Mary Wells-My Guy (or even the version on Sister Act). The trumpets in "Fluorescent" offer a blast that takes you back to War-Low Rider and vocals of early Madonna (Holiday-ish) keep this album sustained in the 80's feel.
"Wonderful Life" is slow paced with a good beat, a relaxing addiction.
"The Sweet Escape," "4 in the Morning," and "U Started it" are ok so-so catchy backgroundish and tolerable...but nothing flamboyantly special. "Yummy" and its Missy Elliott rasps is sometimes alright, other times I don't want to hear it. "Don't Get it Twisted" has a nya-nya carnival...er twist...and can be tolerated occassionally as well. "The circus of 'Don't Get It Twisted' is about realizing she's pregnant in the first place — a sort of corollary to No Doubt's "Simple Kind of Life," in which she wished for a birth-control mistake."