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The Sweet Escape

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This article is about the album. For the single, see The Sweet Escape (song).
Untitled

The Sweet Escape is the second solo album by American pop rock singer Gwen Stefani, released by Interscope Records in December 2006 (see 2006 in music). Having originally intended to return to No Doubt after her 2004 solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby., Stefani decided to record a second album as a way to release some of the material left over from L.A.M.B. writing sessions. The album musically resembles its predecessor while exploring more pop rap sounds. It was released to generally negative reviews from contemporary music critics, receiving criticism for its strong similarities to L.A.M.B.

It was preceded by the lead single "Wind It Up", which charted moderately across the world, and produced the follow-up single "The Sweet Escape", which proved more successful worldwide. The Sweet Escape has reached the Canadian, U.S, & Australian top five and has peaked inside the top twenty in the UK. The Sweet Escape Tour, started in April 2007, will cover North America, Central America, Australia, Asia and Europe.

Background

Following the release of her debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby., Stefani announced that she had intended to return to No Doubt and record a sixth studio album with the band.[1] After the commercial success of L.A.M.B., she decided to release several leftover tracks from the album as an EP or as extra tracks on a DVD.[2] However, Pharrell Williams, with whom she had collaborated to write "Hollaback Girl", convinced Stefani to create "a L.A.M.B. part two",[2] and the two recorded several songs during sessions in Miami, Florida in July 2005.[3] The two produced "Wind It Up", "Orange County Girl", "Yummy", "Breaking Up", and "Candyland" during these sessions, and the songs were used for a fashion show premiering the 2006 collection of Stefani's fashion line L.A.M.B.[4] She included performances of "Wind It Up" and "Orange County Girl" when she embarked on the Harajuku Lovers Tour in October 2005.[5] Stefani put the project on hold in December 2005 when she discovered that she was pregnant,[6] but returned to the studio in August 2006.[7] The album's working title was Candyland, sharing its name with a song used as a bonus track on some editions. The title was changed to The Sweet Escape, the title of the second track, to emphasize the album's themes of wanting to escape to a better life.[8]

Album cover

File:GrandOldPartyJillGreenberg.jpg
Grand Old Party, one of the images from Greenberg's End Times series which served as the inspiration for the cover art.

The album cover was taken by photographer Jill Greenberg. The image was part of a series of promotional images taken by Greenberg, inspired by her previous End Times exhibition. To create End Times, Greenberg gave lollipops to toddlers but took them back after several moments, provoking emotional outbursts. Greenberg used the images as a representation of American politics and society.[9] Greenberg was accused of child abuse for the photo shoots; Stefani, however, commented, "I didn't think 'child abuse' -- I just thought, 'That's beautiful.' Every kid cries. Other people reacted like, 'Oh my God. That's so disturbing,' or 'That's so sad.' I guess that's what art's all about. It's supposed to make you think."[10]

Stefani's appearance on the album cover is inspired that of by Elvira Hancock, a coke whore portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1983 film Scarface. Stefani first gained inspiration for the style when making the music video for "Cool". During the shoot, Stefani saw her No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal and his girlfriend, who had on a "long, peach, polyester [late-1970s style] dress". It was this dress that got Stefani thinking "about Michelle Pfeiffer and how amazingly styled she was [in Scarface]", which in turn drew inspiration for the cover.[11] The pair of oversized sunglasses on the album cover is intended to represent her "guarded exterior", and the other images symbolize her various emotions.[12] Gwen Stefani quotes herself on her FAQ page, "My initial inspiration for the artwork was seeing Jill Greenberg’s End Times exhibit. I fell in love with the beautifully lit, emotional images. The photos looked hyper real and perfectly perfect even though the emotions were slightly disturbing. The shots with sunglasses on the cover represent our guarded exterior while the interior shots show the real emotions we all have inside. "

Critical response

The Sweet Escape received a mostly negative response from critics.[13] Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for All Music Guide: "from the stilted production to the fashion fetish, all the way down to her decision to rap on far too much of the album, all the dance-pop here seems like a pose".[14] Alex Miller's review for the NME was more emphatic, dubbing it "this year's bargain-bin fodder", and stated that "the majority of this record serves only to bury what made Gwen Stefani unique in the first place."[15] For Entertainment Weekly, Sia Michel said that the album "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel" but that "Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva".[16] Pitchfork Media's Mark Pytlik described the album's oddities as a career risk for Stefani, where most of the "gonzo pop songs yield some degree of payout" but that Stefani's tight scheduling during production of the album leaves the result "somewhere between the vanguard and the insipid."[17] Paul Flynn of The Observer, however, characterized the album as unoriginal and less interesting than Fergie's The Dutchess and Nelly Furtado's Loose.[18]

The album received criticism for its similarities to Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that "history will likely view The Sweet Escape as a retread of Stefani's well-received solo debut, but it shares that album's general inconsistency and, thus, its peaks and valleys".[19] In his review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield agreed, viewing it as "her hasty return" to music lacking the energy of L.A.M.B. and in which "she sounds exhausted."[20] The New York Times' Jon Pareles commented that Stefani "rebooks some of the same producers and repeats some of the old tricks with less flair", adding that "superficiality is more fun when it doesn't get so whiny."[21] Caroline Sullivan disagreed in her review for The Guardian, in which she stated that although some of the songs to writing sessions for L.A.M.B., "generally The Sweet Escape feels minty-fresh."[22] PopMatters' review by Quentin Huff, however, referred to The Sweet Escape as L.A.M.B.: Reloaded and described The Sweet Escape and L.A.M.B. as "the same album, just add more rap, a glossy Next-Top-Model-ish photo for the cover, and a few more recent-sounding influences."[23]

Sales

The Sweet Escape was moderately successful in North America, but did not achieve the success of its predecessor. The album sold 243,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200,[24] It sold another 149,000 copies were sold during its second week, falling to number fourteen.[25] The record has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[26] In Canada, the album was certified double platinum in March 2007.[27]

In the United Kingdom, the album was certified gold within three weeks of its release,[28] and peaked at number ten in March 2007.[29] It was less successful throughout Europe, peaking in the top ten in Norway and Switzerland; the top twenty in Austria, Finland, Ireland, and Sweden; and the top forty in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.[29] The Sweet Escape reached number two for two consecutive weeks on the ARIA Albums Chart,[29] and the Australian Recording Industry Association certified it double platinum.[30] The album debuted at number six on the United World Chart and was on the chart for thirty weeks.[29] It sold two million copies worldwide.[31]

Track listing

# Title Writers Producer Time
1. "Wind It Up" Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams The Neptunes 3:09
2. "The Sweet Escape" (featuring Akon) Akon, Stefani, Giorgio Tuinfort Akon 4:06
3. "Orange County Girl" Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 3:23
4. "Early Winter" Tim Rice-Oxley, Stefani Nellee Hooper 4:44
5. "Now That You Got It" Sean Garrett, Stefani, Swizz Beatz Swizz Beatz 2:59
6. "4 in the Morning" Tony Kanal, Stefani Kanal 4:51
7. "Yummy" (featuring Pharrell) Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 4:57
8. "Fluorescent" Kanal, Stefani Kanal 4:18
9. "Breakin' Up" Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 3:46
10. "Don't Get It Twisted" Kanal, Stefani Kanal 3:37
11. "U Started It" Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 3:08
12. "Wonderful Life" Linda Perry, Stefani Hooper 4:09

Bonus tracks

  • "Wind It Up" (Harajuku Lovers live version) - 3:26 (Non-US Editions/iTunes bonus track)
  • "Wind It Up" (Harajuku Lovers live video) (iTunes bonus track/Japanese Edition))
  • "Wind It Up" (original Neptunes mix) - 3:05 (iTunes bonus track/Japanese Edition)
  • "Orange County Girl" (Harajuku Lovers live video) (Non-US Editions)
  • "Danger Zone" (Harujuku Lovers live audio) (Best Buy Exclusive Track)

Charts

Chart (2006)[32] Peak
position
German Albums Chart 29
Swiss Albums Chart 8
United World Chart 6
U.S. Billboard 200 3
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 2
Belgian Albums Chart 40
Dutch Albums Chart 35
French Albums Chart 33
Swedish Albums Chart 19
UK Albums Chart 14

References

  1. ^ "No Doubt 'will return'". NME. November 10, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Vineyard, Jennifer; Pak, SuChin; and Reid, Shaheem. "Gwen Cheats On Gavin To Make Family-Affair LP With Pharrell". MTV News. November 11, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  3. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Gwen Stefani, Gang Of Four, Korn, Christina Aguilera, Jewel, 'Idol' & More". MTV News. July 25, 2005. Retrieve May 12, 2005.
  4. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Gwen Stefani's New LP, The Sweet Escape, Set For December". MTV News. September 19, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  5. ^ Stevenson, Jane. "Air Canada Centre, Toronto - December 9, 2005". Toronto Sun. Retrieved from Jam! May 13, 2007.
  6. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Gwen Stefani Confirms Pregnancy While Onstage In Florida". MTV News. December 24, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  7. ^ Salmon, Chris. "'I just want to make music and babies'". The Guardian. March 2, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  8. ^ Swift, Jacqui. "Has Gwen really got it all?". The Sun. February 23, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  9. ^ Glaister, Dan. "Critics call foul over LA exhibition". The Guardian. July 26, 2006. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  10. ^ Doherty, Mike. "The thrills are alive: Gwen Stefani's new disc". National Post. December 5, 2006. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  11. ^ Collins, Clark. "Holla Back". Entertainment Weekly. November 22, 2006. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  12. ^ Stefani, Gwen. "FAQs". Universal Music Group. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  13. ^ Wener, Ben. "Pop Life: A critic gets locked out". OC Weekly. April 20, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  14. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, The Sweet Escape review, allmusic.com.
  15. ^ Miller, Alex. "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". NME. 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  16. ^ Sia Michel, The Sweet Escape review, ew.com, December 1, 2006.
  17. ^ Pytlik, Mark. "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". Pitchfork Media. December 7, 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  18. ^ Flynn, Paul. "Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape". The Observer. December 10, 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  19. ^ Sal Cinquemani, The Sweet Escape review, Slant Magazine.
  20. ^ Sheffield, Rob. "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. December 12, 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  21. ^ Pareles, Jon. "Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape". The New York Times. December 4, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  22. ^ Sullivan, Caroline. "Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape". The Guardian. December 1, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  23. ^ Huff, Quentin. "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". PopMatters. December 14, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  24. ^ Hasty, Katie. "Ciara, Eminem, Stefani Overtake The Billboard 200". Billboard. December 13, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  25. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Young Jeezy, Hicks Enter Atop The Billboard 200". Billboard. December 20, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  26. ^ Nixon, Chris. "Stefani peddles sweet escapism". The Orange County Register. April 24, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  27. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  28. ^ "Platinum Awards Content". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  29. ^ a b c d "Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape - Music Charts". αCharts.us. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  30. ^ "ARIA Charts - Album Charts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  31. ^ [1]
  32. ^ "Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape - Music Charts". αCharts.us. Retrieved July 13, 2007.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sweet_Escape&oldid=155544759"