Achieving fame both as a member from No Doubt and as a solo artist, Gwen Stefani is a highly successful music artist who has sold more than 100 million albums, sparking hits such as “Sweet Escape” and “Hollaback Girl”. Recently, she has released two singles, “Spark The Fire” and “Baby Don’t Lie”, which will appear on her upcoming album, her first in eight years.

Since I have an internal policy to always be honest about myself, I must confess that I have not heard a single song by No Doubt or Gwen Stefani. This, in itself, will mostly make this review highly uncreditable, since I do not have enough background knowledge to formally determine whether or not these songs are up to Stefani’s standards.

However, try considering this an opinion from an outsider, from one who simply heard these songs for the first time, free from any personal bias.

I’ll just let all my negativity out right now, I can’t stand “Spark The Fire”. Yeah, I can see this being played at my high school prom or something, but that doesn’t make it good.

The main majority the song is comprised of a primitive drum beat, with Gwen halfway singing and rapping over it. There’s a bridge that’s slightly catchy, but not fleshed-out enough. That’s it.

There’s practically no substance, no accessible hooks or intriguing musical ideas to soak in.

Perhaps Gwen was trying to make a statement, based on the abstractness of the lyrics, (Go head, just try to decipher “Something’s telling me/It takes a try to superview L.U.V/Was losing focus/lost the perfect Lego piece/I got new glasses so I can finally see”), but overall there was almost no creativity put into this song, and it sounds like it was created with the sole intention of being a hit.

Still, I got to hand it to Pharrell Williams for at least giving it a superb production, making the piece seem less half-baked than it really is.

Luckily, I have not completely given up hope, because “Baby Don’t Lie” is actually a genuinely good and well-written pop song. While “Spark The Fire” sounded unfinished and underwritten, this tune has a highly vivacious and rich production, loaded with so many fantastic elements, from the infectiously memorable chorus to Gwen’s affectionately strong singing.

Suffice to say, I’m so happy this song exists that it’s impossible for me to nitpick slightest.

Overall, I would say that I am looking forward to Gwen’s new album. “Spark The Fire” may have been a dud, but “Baby Don’t Lie” does show serious potential.

Perhaps that’s an indicator that her other music isn’t that bad, either.