After a decidedly abysmal solo career, the otherwise talented musician and long time crush of mine, Gwen Stefani, has gotten back together with her band No Doubt, to release their 6th studio album Push and Shove, slated for a late September release. Here is one of my favorite songs from this platinum blonde and the rest of the Ska-punk ensemble to tide myself over until then:
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No Doubt – “Underneath It All”
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A reggae-infused love song, crooned through Gwen’s deliciously idiosyncratic singing voice have made this track a staple on many a summer mixtape; however, the lackadaisical baseline and a stellar verse by Jamaican MC Lady Saw earn this chilled out single the right to be played past Labor Day and beyond.
[Bonus:] Here is a version of the song “Saw Red” off of the Sublime compilation album Second-hand Smoke. The track was released after the death of industry deity and Sublime front-man Bradley Nowell. See if you can recognize the other half of the duet.
Like we needed any more reasons to love her.