lambchops's Full Review: Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt
I know exactly where my relationship (however brief) with No Doubt went sour. It was with the release of single Don’t Speak from sophomore breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom that I was officially purged of any real desire to know or listen to the pseudo-punk outfit.
Once upon a time, No Doubt fancied themselves ska-punks. Their early music was reflective of this direction, but following the release of the band’s eponymous 1991 debut and the departure of lead singer Gwen Stefani’s elder brother and guitarist Eric, No Doubt headed in another direction. Gwen alongside former boyfriend and bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and quirky drummer Adrian Young didn’t entirely turn their backs on their punk roots but what they did was add a heavy dash of pop. The end result was an album (Tragic Kingdom, 1995) ready made for both MTV and radio. It wasn’t revolutionary, it wasn’t particularly creative, but it was darn catchy.
Tragic Kingdom details the breakup of Gwen and Tony so it’s fraught with post-relationship nonsense that I’d just prefer to be left off of an album. Though, considering Stefani’s none-too-secret pop ambitions the emotional hoo-ha comes as no particular shock. I personally get no gratification out of listening to her whine about her old relationship and ex-boyfriend, but this sophomoric weaving of emotion into otherwise banal songs is a trademark of pop in the mid-1990’s—and it sold millions of copies of this album and so many others.
As negative as the statements I’ve just seem are, I must also admit to getting some amount of superficial joy out of No Doubt…at first. Tragic Kingdom was released while I was in college. As many people know, college kids appreciate nothing more than a good party song. For a college girl at a party in 1995/1996 if Just a Girl flooded the speakers that was your cue to jump up and dance like a drunken maniac (which I was). There is no question that as a novelty song it seriously rocked but as a lead-off single it was a bad choice. Just a Girl is not representative of this album or band—in fact it smacked of “one hit wonder.” Fortunately No Doubt was nothing of the sort but they also weren’t the kind of band that appeals to many more attentive listeners.
With each new single, it became clearer that No Doubt was undoubtedly a pop band. At the time, this fact turned me way off of them. Of course, in retrospect that was narrow-minded but by no means was it unwarranted. Second single Spiderwebs did little for me at the time to redeem the band with it’s ska rhythms and horns. Today, I actually enjoy it but something about the attitude and swagger rubbed me the wrong way those years ago. Though in retrospect, I think it’s probably the most entertaining song of Tragic Kingdom. Regardless of topic, it is good…great? No, but nifty.
The other singles outside those two are painfully forgettable. The worst of the lot is Don’t Speak. Despite selling gajillions of albums and being a hit video, I find it to be an unabashed attempt at mainstream success. It is boring, melodramatic, and completely inappropriate for any band that may have once considered themselves to be even vaguely “punk.” And the lyrics? Well, they are hollow and unemotional but intended to be completely the opposite. This gives Don’t Speak an air of insincerity I find to be inexcusable.
The final successful single is Sunday Morning. With pointed drums and guitars and bolstered by Stefani’s wavering, boisterous voice it generally fades into the rest of the lesser songs. Of course there are other “non-single” successes here. Most specifically I point to the up-tempo Excuse Me Mr. which actually recalls the band’s punk roots for a moment as a truly “good song.” It shows that No Doubt indeed likes to have fun and that they can sound as though they don’t take much seriously. I like that—especially considering this album was released soon after the physical and metaphorical death of grunge.
Most of Tragic Kingdom falls squarely into the category of “fine but forgettable.” Nothing is brilliant and only a few songs are truly bad. This is certainly where the hype and sales far outweighed the actual quality of the album. Hey You, The Climb, and World Go ‘Round are all particularly bad with a bunch of others being of middling quality. America’s attraction to No Doubt in the mid-1990’s truly confuses me. I personally suspect it has more to do with Gwen’s look and diva attitude than anything else—“she looks pretty so let’s watch her and pretend she sings pretty too!”
Tragic Kingdom is a slice of the reality that was music in 1995. So much of what was released then was mediocre and produced by one-hit-wonders. No Doubt escaped that title (in part to the presence of Stefani). However that doesn’t mean this is a good album. It is not. Do not mistake it as such. If you’re already a fan of No Doubt you have this album otherwise may I suggest looking elsewhere? This is glorified bubblegum-pseudo punk-pop. Just not my cup of tea.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Spiderwebs
02. Excuse Me Mr.
03. Just a Girl
04. Happy Now?
05. Different People
06. Hey You
07. The Climb
08. Sixteen
09. Sunday Morning
10. Don’t Speak
11. You Can Do It
12. Word Go ‘Round
13. End It on This
14. Tragic Kingdom
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