Return Of Saturn

Opening with a song called 'Ex-Girlfriend', it's clear No Doubt's Gwen Stefani is taking the opportunity to vent some spleen about the bitter end of a relationship. She goes through all the various stages in these songs: self-pity, anger, desperation, regret, then reluctant acceptance.

'A Simple Kind Of Life' and 'Marry Me' plaintively describe her desire to get married and have babies, if only it hadn't all gone so wrong; 'Staring Problem' is a green-eyed glare at the ex and his new girlfriend that's so irritatingly petulant it's hard to feel any sympathy.

'Magic In The Make Up' is about creating new identities and hiding behind masks, and fittingly (like the rest of the album) it sounds like it was airbrushed onto the CD. It's basically the same No Doubt sound, with pouty vocals and hiccuping reggae beats, although on 'Bathwater', they make a clumsy stab at a '30s feel with a jazzy Kurt Weill-style sample.

The best things here are previous single 'New', about the breath of fresh air of a brand new relationship, and the healthy tantrum of 'Comforting Lie', about the urge to rid oneself of emotional baggage.

By the end, Gwen has laid her soul bare, but unfortunately the songs are as literal and obvious as the album's cover illustrations - lipstick, bathwater, wedding cakes.