I participated in this sponsored album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided the album to review but all opinions are my own.
One of the first CDs I remember getting was No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom. Since then, Gwen Stefani has continued to make a name for herself and her unmistakable voice. Her newest album, This is What the Truth Feels Like, just continues to secure her place in the “legendary” category for our time.
This is her first album since her divorce from Gavin Rossdale, whom she had been with for twenty years. The songs are intimate and real and while there is an element of it being a “breakup” album, it also documents her new relationship with Blake Shelton. I love that combination of themes, because like we should have all learned from the movie Inside Out, life isn’t all broken or all mended, and sometimes an honest breakup album needs to have themes of hope and newness in it, as well. You know.. a chapter ends so a new one can start type stuff.
The first single, Used to Love You, is an intimate and honest song reflecting on her divorce, and the line “I don’t know why I cry but I think it’s because I remembered for the first time since I hated you that I used to love you,” basically sums up any messy breakup. Those words. Man. Her latest single, Make Me Love You, is a fun and catchy song about her new relationship. You can watch the videos for both of these:
Used to Love You:
Make Me Like You:
I love this collection of songs, but my favorite is the song Naughty. The chorus of it reminds me SO MUCH of Hollaback Girl, which is one of those songs that will get stuck in your head for weeks.
