The Sweet Escape

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

The Sweet Escape is the second and latest solo studio album by American pop and rock singer Gwen Stefani, released on December 5, 2006 by Interscope Records. 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 the L.A.M.B. writing sessions. The album musically resembles its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds. It was released to generally mixed 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 reached the Canadian, U.S., and Australian top five and peaked inside the top twenty in the UK. The Sweet Escape Tour, started in April 2007, covered North America, Central America, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

Conception

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", "U Started It", "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 never-released track that has only been looped via her fashion show soundtrack. 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

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]

Gwen Stefani's appearance on the album cover is inspired by that of Elvira Hancock, a coke whore portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1983 film Scarface. Stefani first gained inspiration for the style while shooting the music video for "Cool" in Lake Como, Italy. 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] It is the first and only album to bear the Parental Advisory sticker in Stefani's solo career.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[14]
The Guardian[15]
The New York Times(unfavorable)[16]
NME(4/10)[17]
The Observer[18]
Pitchfork Media(6.5/10)[19]
PopMatters(4/10)[20]
Rolling Stone[21]
Slant Magazine[22]

The Sweet Escape received mixed responses from critics.[23] Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for Allmusic: "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."[13] 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."[17] 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".[14] 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."[19] Paul Flynn of The Observer, however, characterized the album as 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 "[h]istory 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".[22] 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."[21] 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."[16] Caroline Sullivan disagreed in her review for The Guardian, in which she stated that although some of the songs date back to the 2003 writing sessions for L.A.M.B., "generally The Sweet Escape feels minty-fresh."[15] PopMatters' review by Quentin B. 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."[20]

Commercial performance

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 during its second week, falling to number fourteen.[25] The record has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[26] The Canadian Recording Industry Association certified The Sweet Escape platinum eight days prior to the album's release,[27] and double platinum on March 5, 2007.[28]

In the United Kingdom, the album was certified gold within three weeks of its release,[29] and peaked at number fourteen in March 2007.[30] 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.[30] The Sweet Escape reached number two for two consecutive weeks on the ARIA Albums Chart,[30] and the Australian Recording Industry Association certified it double platinum.[31] The album has sold close to 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Track listing

# Title Writers Producer Length
1. "Wind It Up" Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II The Neptunes 3:09
2. "The Sweet Escape" (featuring Akon) Stefani, Aliaune Thiam, Giorgio Tuinfort Akon 4:06
3. "Orange County Girl" Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 3:23
4. "Early Winter" Stefani, Tim Rice-Oxley Nellee Hooper 4:44
5. "Now That You Got It" Stefani, Sean Garrett, Kaseem Dean Swizz Beatz 2:59
6. "4 in the Morning" Stefani, Tony Kanal Kanal 4:51
7. "Yummy" (featuring Pharrell) Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 4:57
8. "Fluorescent" Stefani, Kanal Kanal 4:18
9. "Breakin' Up" Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 3:46
10. "Don't Get It Twisted" Stefani, Kanal Kanal 3:37
11. "U Started It" Stefani, Williams The Neptunes 3:08
12. "Wonderful Life" Stefani, Linda Perry Hooper 3:58
Bonus tracks
  • "Wind It Up" (Harajuku Lovers Live Version) – 3:26 (non-U.S. 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-U.S. editions)

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Release history

Country Date Label
Germany December 1, 2006[46] Universal
Australia December 2, 2006[47]
United Kingdom December 4, 2006[48] Polydor
United States December 5, 2006[33] Interscope
Italy December 7, 2006[49] Universal
Japan January 31, 2007[37]

References

  1. ^ "No Doubt 'will return'". NME. 10 November 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  2. ^ a b Vineyard, Jennifer; Pak, SuChin; and Reid, Shaheem. "Gwen Cheats On Gavin To Make Family-Affair LP With Pharrell". MTV News. 11 November 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  3. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Gwen Stefani, Gang Of Four, Korn, Christina Aguilera, Jewel, 'Idol' & More". MTV News. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2005.
  4. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Gwen Stefani's New LP, The Sweet Escape, Set For December". MTV News. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  5. ^ Stevenson, Jane. "Air Canada Centre, Toronto - December 9, 2005". Toronto Sun. Jam! 13 May 2007.
  6. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Gwen Stefani Confirms Pregnancy While Onstage In Florida". MTV News. 24 December 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  7. ^ Salmon, Chris. "'I just want to make music and babies'". The Guardian. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  8. ^ Swift, Jacqui. "Has Gwen really got it all?". The Sun. 23 February 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
  9. ^ Glaister, Dan. "Critics call foul over LA exhibition". The Guardian. 26 July 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  10. ^ Doherty, Mike. "The thrills are alive: Gwen Stefani's new disc". National Post. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  11. ^ Collins, Clark. "Holla Back". Entertainment Weekly. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  12. ^ Stefani, Gwen. "FAQs". Universal Music Group. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  13. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Sweet Escape > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ a b Michel, Sia (December 1, 2006). "Music Review – The Sweet Escape (2006) – Gwen Stefani". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  15. ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (December 1, 2006). "CD: Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  16. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (December 4, 2006). "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  17. ^ a b Miller, Alex (December 1, 2006). "NME Reviews – Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". NME. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  18. ^ a b Flynn, Paul (December 10, 2006). "Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape | Music | The Observer". The Observer. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  19. ^ a b Pytlik, Mark (December 7, 2006). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 18, 2007. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  20. ^ a b Huff, Quentin B. (December 14, 2006). "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape < Reviews | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved August 19, 2007. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  21. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (December 12, 2006). "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  22. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (December 1, 2006). "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape | Music Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ Wener, Ben (April 20, 2007). "Pop Life: A critic gets locked out". OC Weekly. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  24. ^ Hasty, Katie (December 13, 2006). "Ciara, Eminem, Stefani Overtake The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  25. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (December 20, 2006). "Young Jeezy, Hicks Enter Atop The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  26. ^ a b "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. June 25, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  27. ^ "CRIA: Gold & Platinum – November 2006". Canadian Recording Industry Association. November 27, 2006. Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  28. ^ a b "CRIA: Gold & Platinum – March 2007". Canadian Recording Industry Association. March 5, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  29. ^ a b "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. December 22, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape – Music Charts". αCharts.us. Retrieved July 13, 2007.
  31. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  32. ^ "ultratop.be – Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape". Ultratop (in French). Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  33. ^ a b c "The Sweet Escape > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  34. ^ "Musicline.de – Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape" (in German). Musicline.de. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  35. ^ "Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez-lista – 2007. 27. hét" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  36. ^ "Artisti – Classifica settimanale dal 08-12-2006 al 14-12-2006". Federation of the Italian Music Industry (in Italian). Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  37. ^ a b "The Sweet Escape – Oricon". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  38. ^ "IFPI Denmark – Guld og platin i 2007". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (in Danish). August 28, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  39. ^ "IFPI Germany – Gold/Platin-Datenbank". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 9, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  40. ^ "MAHASZ – Adatbázis – 2007". Mahasz (in Hungarian). Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  41. ^ "Recording Industry Association of Japan – List of works certified Gold in March 2007". Recording Industry Association of Japan. 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  42. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums – RadioScope New Zealand". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. RadioScope New Zealand. June 17, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  43. ^ "ZPAV gold certification awards – 2007". Związek Producentów Audio Video. November 19, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  44. ^ "Gold and Platinum International Albums in Russia – 2006". National Federation of Phonogram Producers (in Russian). 2M. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  45. ^ "Swiss Certifications – Awards 2008". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. swisscharts.com. Retrieved January 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  46. ^ "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape – (CD) – Universal Music". Universal Music Germany (in German). Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  47. ^ "Gwen Stefani : Discography : The Sweet Escape". Universal Music Australia. Getmusic.com.au. Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  48. ^ "hmv.com: music: Sweet Escape (2006)". HMV. Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  49. ^ "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape – IBS". Internet Bookshop Italia (in Italian). Retrieved March 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)

External links

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