Return of Saturn is the fourth studio album by American rock band No Doubt, released on April 11, 2000 by Trauma Records and Interscope Records. Creating the album became a tumultuous process lasting two years, during which there was dissension among band members and between the band and its label. The album maintains the ska punk and reggae influences of the band’s previous work, but with slower, more ballad-like songs. The lyrics to many of the songs describe singer Gwen Stefani’s pining for a more domestic life, contrasting that with her commitment to a music career. Upon release, Return of Saturn received favorable reviews from music critics, although several of them were divided over its different sound to its predecessor. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 but was unable to measure up to the sales of Tragic Kingdom. At the 43rd Grammy Awards, Return of Saturn was nominated for Best Rock Album. (More from Wikipedia)
Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider worked with No Doubt on one of my favorite albums of the early 2000’s, Return of Saturn; Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic notes: “No Doubt’s desire to expand the emotional template of new wave is the perfect match for [Gwen] Stefani’s themes – she may be writing about love, but she’s not writing adolescent love songs. Fragments of her teenaged romantic fantasies remain, but she’s writing as a woman in her late 20’s. She’s tired of being another ‘ex-girlfriend’ – she wants to fall in love, get married, and have a family. It’s a subject that’s surprisingly uncommon in pop music, which would alone make Return of Saturn an interesting album. What makes it a successful one is that the band delivers an aural equivalent of Stefani’s lyrical themes. . . . Surprisingly, they pull it off – it’s a far stronger record than Tragic Kingdom, even if the catchiest numbers don’t have the same swagger and punch as their previous hit singles. So be it. With Return of Saturn, No Doubt have made a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom. Not only have they found their voice, they know what to do with it.”
(April 2015/2)
