Getting an early listen to my favorite artist’s new album is like getting an early Christmas or birthday present. So when I got the news that I would be writing about Gwen Stefani’s third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like, I almost threw my phone across the room in excitement. My first concert, in fourth grade, was her hometown show at The Anaheim Pond in Anaheim, California — on her 2005 Harajuku Lovers Tour. I grew up listening to No Doubt; I have all the CDs, the vinyl, and still even have an awesome poster of her framed on my wall. I love that she’s a California girl — just like me. She’s so honest and relatable, and her energy and drive have inspired me for so many years.
Leading up to the release of her album, Stefani put out the track “Used to Love You” late last year. I watched a live performance, and I instantly knew: Gwen is back! The sincerity in her voice and the empowering yet sad way she sings each lyric brings me back to the 1990s, giving me “Don’t Speak” (1995) flashbacks. “Used to Love You” makes me feel like I’m a little kid jumping on the bed, feeling angry about a heartbreak that didn’t even happen to me. I blast this song every time it comes on the radio and sing it at the top of my lungs. The other people on the road give me dirty looks, but I don’t care. I can’t hold back my love for this song! It’s just too heartbreakingly good. My heart wrenches for her as she sings, “Oh, oh, oh, oh/I used to love you!” Sometimes heartbreak leads to incredible inspiration, and she nailed it with this tune.
Gwen has experienced so much since 2004 — and since her previous release, The Sweet Escape, which came out nearly ten years ago. While she questions herself and the people around her on this new record, it seems as though she has fixed the hole in her heart — perhaps mended by her The Voice co-star, singer Blake Shelton.
Another album favorite is “Asking 4 It,” featuring hip-hop artist Fetty Wap. It reminds of a sugar-sweet Rihanna sipping on strawberry champagne — and it has a super awesome chorus. While listening to it, I had to stand up and dance, because it feels like a fun club track with naughty hints of sexual desire. The last song on the album, “Rare,” features more guitars mixed with psychedelic synths that swirl in and out of the speakers. It sounds like an absolute dream and takes me back to shopping at Limited Too for newsboy hats and sparkly sunglasses. “You’re so good and you don’t even know it/You’re rare,” Gwen’s voice rides its way around the beautiful melody. This song is like disco on acid.
