No Doubt - Return of Saturn
No Doubt had been around for quite a while without much success until their last CD, 1995's Tragic Kingdom, which sold 15 million copies worldwide. Five years have elapsed and there were some high expectations for their new CD. Without a doubt, Return of Saturn lives up to and even exceeds those expectations. It was produced by Glen Ballard, who is best known for his work with Alanis Morissette.
No Doubt has grown up a lot musically, and that shows on this CD. Gwen Stefani has matured as a vocalist, and sounds great. The musical direction of the group has expanded and diversified. There is a lot of No Doubt's trademark ska style, but also some departures into pop, rock, punk, world music, and even a little hip-hop. The songs themselves are more complicated, too, with lots of tempo and key changes. The variety of Return to Saturn makes it much more enjoyable to listen to start to finish than Tragic Kingdom. For more information, visit http://www.nodoubt.com
Poison - Crack A Smile...And More
This is not a new CD, only a newly released CD. It's known to Poison fans as "The Lost CD". Most of it was recorded for release back in 1994. At the time, Poison's brand of metal had lost its popularity to grunge. So the record label decided to shelve the CD. Until now. Heavy metal is beginning to regain popularity, and Poison has been selling out concerts for the past couple of years, so the time is right for the release of Crack A Smile. Fans helped trigger the release of this CD, too, with an overwhelming number of emails to the Capitol Records website.
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