Review | Gwen Stefani’s ‘Bouquet’ isn’t what you’re expecting

Gwen Stefani, America’s rule-breaking blonde bombshell pop star, has spent most of her career dominating the Billboard charts as a solo artist and with her band No Doubt. Her most recent album “Bouquet,” released on Nov. 15, takes a turn out of her comfort zone and into the country rock/pop space, transforming Stefani into a country facade of her old self.

Stefani rose to prominence in the 90s ska and alternative rock scene as the front woman for No Doubt, a band she started with her brother, Eric Stefani. Their second studio album “Tragic Kingdom” shot them to popularity with songs like “Don’t Speak” and “Just a Girl,” topping billboard charts and becoming standards of the genre. No Doubt followed its success with “Return to Saturn” in 2000, “Rock Steady” in 2001 and “Push and Shove” in 2012. The band has been on and off since its first break up in 2004 and recently played a set at Coachella in April of 2024. 

Gwen Stefani diverged from No Doubt as a solo artist with the release of her first studio album in 2004, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” The album proved Stefani’s legitimacy as a solo artist with songs like “Rich Girl,” “Hollaback Girl” and “Luxurious.” She released “The Sweet Escape” in 2006, followed by “This is What Truth Feels Like” in 2016 and recently released a holiday album titled “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” in 2020.   

“Bouquet,” Stefani’s fifth single studio album, stemmed from her time at Blake Shelton’s ranch during COVID, where they got to spend down-time together they wouldn’t have been able to without the pandemic. Stefani began a relationship with Shelton, a country singer, in 2015 after meeting on The Voice, a popular singing reality show they both judged for. Their relationship was on and off until the pair tied the knot in 2021 on Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch. It was here where she drew inspiration for “Bouquet,” pulling from the soft-rock classics of her childhood and pairing them with the country life of Oklahoma. The album is hyper-focused on flower metaphors, an intentional move from Stefani as a way for her to speak on her past and present love while nodding to Oklahoma, as referenced on the Zane Lowe Show. 

“During COVID, we were there so much that we actually got to see the seasons … We started seeing the wildflowers, seeing what was in Oklahoma that we never saw before,” Stefani said. 

“Bouquet” is a country-pop and soft rock mix, which strays from Stefani’s wheelhouse. The songs vary between slow tunes about heartbreak that feature a country twang and more dance-oriented songs that showcase Stefani’s long history with pop. It’s hard to decipher whether the album is a new era for Stefani, a healthy relationship, the challenge of a new genre while paying homage to her old style or an unoriginal country-pop album that’s a Hail Mary back into relevancy. The album dances between the two extremes throughout, as half the album spews bland lyrics and overused instrumentation, like in “Pretty,” while the other half feels like a new, fresh rock take on the country rock/pop sphere that’s becoming increasingly homogenous. Either way, the album is a true Stefani work, with her signature nasally sound tied with ska-guitars and a dancing groove that’s featured throughout the album. Even if the album proves itself to be less original than Stefani was hoping for, it’s still distinctively Gwen and a step up from other current pop-country releases.

The album starts with “Somebody Else’s,” a perfect tone-setter. It’s a song about heartbreak surrounded by short rhythmic guitars and juxtaposed by lengthened country chords echoing in the background. The guitars contrasting with Stefani’s vocal layering results in a sound that is typical Stefani with strong pop-rock features, yet layered with country for a line-dance feel. “Somebody Else’s” sound repeats in “Late to Bloom,” the sixth track on the album. The songs are extremely similar in nearly all aspects, including lyrics, and create a strong country-dance feel that the titular song “Bouquet” feeds off of. My personal favorite of the album is “Swallow My Tears” because of its vulnerability, creativity and its relation to the above songs. “Swallow My Tears” shifts from a rock ballad to country to pop, with each genre shift influenced by the others. The strong chord progressions accented by guitars ground the song despite its changing sound, and the song is one that’s danced to as easily as it’s cried to. 

The songs above are when I feel more of Stefani’s genuine sound and artistry. When she embraces her sound while incorporating the country influence but not centering it, the songs are arguably more original and better sounding. But when Stefani centers the country and tries to turn her sound into something it’s not, the album tends to fall flat. Songs like “Reminders” and “Empty Vase” are slow songs about her love for Shelton, and while catchy, don’t feel musically stimulating. Songs like “Marigolds” and “All Your Fault” feel like copies of one another, and are oversaturated with country. “Purple Irises,” the album’s Magnum Opus, is a duet with Blake Shelton and a significant moment in both of their emotional-musical careers. But the song doesn’t stand out and sounds like most other country duets.

While “Bouquet” has its moments of creativity and originality, it also has its strains of basic, unoriginal, plain country pop. If you’re a dedicated No Doubt fan and are looking for Stefani’s alternative and ska sound, this album won’t meet your needs. But, if you’re interested in the newer Stefani and looking to see her work with the country genre, I would definitely recommend “Bouquet.” It’s new for Stefani, but it isn’t a total divergence from her past work. “Bouquet” is still Stefani, but in a new phase of her life, where she’s exploring her sound, her love, her musicality and herself.