Album Review: Gwen Stefani’s “This Is What the Truth Feels Like”

Album Review: Gwen Stefani’s “This Is What the Truth Feels Like”

They say that music is food for the soul. If this is true, Gwen Stefani has found the ingredients to feed her emotions and delivers up a very emotional, raw, and tastefully awesome dish of the best she has to offer us. Stefani has admitted this album, aptly titled “This Is What the Truth Feels Like,” helped her to deal with the emotions that came from the divorce from singer Gavin Rossdale and her new relationship with country singer Blake Shelton. Released on Interscope Records, this is the third solo album from Gwen Stefani, and she actually wrote 16 new songs for this album, but four of them are only available on the deluxe edition, so sadly, I couldn’t listen to those songs.

The songs I did hear are written in a variety of styles from dance to pop and hip-hop, so nothing is repetitive, which really makes it fun to listen to. But when you do listen to the words, and I mean really listen, you hear all of Stefani’s anger, hurt, and self-doubts and then her resulting happiness not only with the finished product but with herself and her life now. You can even tell which ones are about her ex and which are about Shelton. “Make Me Like You” was already acknowledged as a Shelton-inspired song. The video for this song was filmed live at the 2016 Grammy Awards and was put online to view when finished. This song, if you didn’t see the Grammys, is a very fun and playful song done in a very light pop style. This song has gone up the charts quickly since its premiere. It was the second single to be released before the actual album release. The first single released was actually done in the latter part of 2015.

“Used To Love You” is the lead single from “This Is What the Truth Feels Like.” It was first premiered at a concert in October 2015, and Stefani later performed it on television a few days later. As a divorcee myself, this is the song that hit a few raw nerves with me. Done in a slow pop/soul fashion, you hear anger in the words, “I thought I was the best thing that happened to you,” and then the tears come when she sings, “I remembered for the first time since I hated you / That I used to love you.” Yeah, raw nerves, and yet very healing. I admit that it brought tears to my eyes, not for the pain but for the sadness she feels for that loss. I’ve been there.

“Red Flag” is a hip-hop song again written from her pain. Reflecting on her own perceived blindness to what was happening in the marriage, she comes out as angry in this song but puts street swagger into the beat. It won’t be booming out of your speakers, but still, it’s not a bad song. “Naughty” also goes hip-hop but with more piano to accent the chastising and finger-wagging she does. Both pieces have the synthetic elements of techno arrangements, but they don’t overpower the style. Good blending.

“Me Without You” has a rap element to it, but is not a rap song per se. It has a slower beat punctuated by a good piano background and is easy to listen to. I don’t consider it a rap song since she is singing, but I don’t feel it’s a total hip-hop song either. Maybe it’s more of a soul sound, but it does have that rap beat going on with the drums. You have to hear it yourself.

“You’re My Favorite” has a pop sound going on with techno elements but at a slower pace. “Rare” uses more guitar in the background and has a dance feel without the techno of the other song. Because of these mixtures, I couldn’t nail the exact style of the songs, but they both have strong feelings that reflect the more positive changes in Stefani’s life.

I think Stefani did an amazing job in writing from her heart and exposing her soul to us. “This Is What the Truth Feels Like” is a definite 5-star album that you must hear!