"Rock Steady" deftly blends Jamaican dance-hall melodies, hip-hop-inspired production and simplistic,'80 s pop. Now, on this new album, No Doubt goes style-dipping with Stefani, making its most risky, varied and creative music to date. And recent duets with techno-god Moby and hip-hop's first lady, Eve, have only highlighted the singer's transformation from onetime salesgirl to genre-hopping megastar. Thanks to her bombshell-meets-goofball demeanor, standout sense of style (she designs all her own clothes) and quavering, throaty vocals, the 32-year-old Stefani has become one of pop's most recognizable personalities. "We surprised everyone, including ourselves." Her other bandmates, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young, are driving back to their homes in Orange County after a daylong photo session. "I didn't even think we'd make it this far," admits Stefani, who is sitting in the living room of her Hollywood Hills home with bassist and former boyfriend Tony Kanal. Now it's on the verge of releasing its best record yet, "Rock Steady." But two multiplatinum records later, the frenetic suburban band has outlived its most respected chart-topping peers and sold more than 18 million albums.
In short, No Doubt was a quintessential one-hit wonder.
The Anaheim, Calif., quartet-who grew up in the shadow of Disneyland and named its breakthrough album "Tragic Kingdom"-was goofy, colorful and cartoonish. When No Doubt's bouncy ska hit "Just a Girl" popped up like a big yellow daisy on the otherwise gloomy grunge landscape of 1995, it seemed the band would be as short-lived as a mall fad.
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