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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 5/22/2011
Posts: 21,227
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Gwen Stefani - Baby Don't Lie
Review By: Sugar Rush
Maybe it's because I had such high expectations for Gwen to release something that was at the same level of her previous two albums is why I am so disappointed by this song. It ain't a bad song by any means, the production is unique and the chorus to this song is catchy but it feels that it's still missing something. Perhaps it's the weak verses, but this song certainly does not "wow" me right away. The bridge in this song comes across as a lazy attempt to completing the song, and with Ryan Tedder as a co-writer on this track you'd expect something much stronger lyrically. At the end of the day, this is a good song for Gwen's comeback and hopefully the future material will be better because asides from being average this song really does nothing.
4.5 / 10
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 6,868
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BABY DON'T STOP MAKING MUSIC
Gwen Stefani is back! And she is better than ever. I have always been a huge fan of Gwen, whether she was apart of No Doubt, or as a solo performer. I grew up with No Doubt's music, and Gwen's Love.Angel.Music.Baby. was the first album I ever bought by myself. After Gwen released the amazing 'Sweet Escape' album, she said that she was done making solo music, which made me a little upset. But when she announced that she would be joining The Voice, I knew that she must have had something up her sleeve no one joins The Voice without something to promote. And baby, I did not lie.
As soon as it was announced that Gwen would be releasing a single entitled 'Baby Don't Lie,' I was already intrigued by the name alone. I was interested in how Gwen was going to hook me in would it be through her emotive lyrics (like on that of Early Winter, Cool, or 4 in the Morning) or through sass and catchiness (ala Hollaback Girl, Crash, Sweet Escape, Wind It Up, the list goes on!) ? After the song leaked, I have to say that Gwen hooked me in using a mix of both. As soon as the instrumental started, I expected a *****-popping anthem with the heavy bass, but then the guitrar strumming came in. The lyrics serve as an ode to insecurity in a relationship, and while they're rather simple, it's effective. The track has a melancholy feel to it, but the production manages to make it fun at the same time side-note: the production is AMAZING, kudos to Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco. So while the song has an emotional edge to it, the lyrics are still fun and catchy. I can't even begin to say how many times I've caught myself humming and/or outright singing "baby don't, baby don't, baby don't liiiiieeeee" out loud.
Another thing that there is to discuss is some of the criticism Gwen fans have given the song. They allege that Gwen has lost her edge and playfulness that was present in past songs, such as Wind It Up, What You Waiting For?, Yummy, etc. My take on this is that a) it's a comeback song, so it can't be too out there, as she doesn't want to alienate the public. And b) the playfulness is still there, it's just more mature sounding. The bridge is classic Gwen! All in all, I think this is a perfect comeback single. It has catchy lyrics, good production, perfect for the season it's being released in, and is still inherently Gwen.
I give this track a 9/10
TL;DR:
Catchy lyrics
Good production
Showed maturity
Emotional lyrics, but a lack of depth
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Gwen Stefani has released her first single since when I was 7 years old. I am not familiar with Stefani's music, but from what I have heard Baby Don't Lie is well within her style. A spacey, bass-heavy intro kicks off the track. This soon segues into a pleasant, island-infused instrumental which is unlike anything popular right now. Despite the unremarkable vocals and melodies, the instrumental makes the verses pretty decent. The chorus was quite a letdown, as it is not very catchy or memorable. In fact, I think the instrumental is the most memorable component of the song. The second verse was okay as well, but nothing really stood out about it. What did stand out was the bridge, which removes all of the instrumental except for the bass and adds handclapping. This was unnecessary, and the lyrics to the bridge are quite tacky.
Overall, I was not disappointed nor excited after hearing this song. I suppose it will be a nice addition to pop radio stations' fall playlists (that is, if it is successful). I think the replay value of this song is pretty good because of the instrumental and because there's nothing that struck me as awful about it, but it's nothing special. It's certainly a better effort than most of the attempted comebacks of 2014 (Hilary Duff, Fergie, etc.), but it is not particularly great.
Reviews:
Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up (4.0)
La Roux - Trouble In Paradise (2.3)
Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective (2.0)
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang (5.8)
Hilary Duff - Chasing The Sun (0.5)
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Anything Goes (4.9)
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda (2.0)
Beyonc้ f/Nicki Minaj - ***Flawless Remix (3.7)
Pixie Lott - Pixie Lott (6.0)
FKA Twigs - LP1 (1.7)
Hilary Duff - All About You (4.1)
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (7.1)
Charli XCX - Break The Rules (4.6)
Ariana Grande - My Everything (5.2)
Maroon 5 - V (5.4)
Banks - Goddess (8.2)
Calvin Harris f/John Newman - Blame (8.6)
Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat (8.8)
Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la) (2.5)
LIGHTS - Little Machines (6.7)
One Direction - Steal My Girl (2.0)
Carrie Underwood - Something In The Water (5.3)
Gwen Stefani - Baby Don't Lie (5.4)
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Does anybody else want to review Outside?
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Member Since: 3/4/2014
Posts: 4,777
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
Baby Don't Lie results.
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Count my review
I edited it
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
| Tough Love - Jessie Ware
Jessie Ware | Interscope | Release Date: October 13, 2014 (UK)
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86 | Member Score
Universal acclaim
based on 6 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
9.2 | Modscore
Universal acclaim
based on 1 Mod |
| dddddddddddddd | Summary: The second album from the British pop-soul singer-songwriter. | Record Label: Interscope
Genre(s): Pop |
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Member Reviews | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 6 | d | ....iMixed: 0 | d | Negative: 0 |
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| Mod Reviews | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 1 | d | ....iMixed: 0 | d | Negative: 0 |
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Tough Love results.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by bastille
Count my review
I edited it
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Okay, give me a few minutes.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
| Baby Don't Lie - Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani | Interscope | Release Date: October 20, 2014
| | dddddddddd
77 | Member Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 15 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
9.8 | Modscore
Universal acclaim
based on 1 Mod |
| dddddddddddddd | Summary: The lead single from the pop singer's first album in eight years. | Record Label: Interscope
Genre(s): Pop |
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Member Reviews | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 11 | d | ....iMixed: ██████ 4 | d | Negative: 0 |
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| Mod Reviews | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 1 | d | ....iMixed: 0 | d | Negative: 0 |
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Baby Don't Lie results.
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Member Since: 5/14/2011
Posts: 14,089
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What's next on the schedule?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by Auraeolux
What's next on the schedule?
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Nothing yet. No current or new single/album has 3 requests.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 37,384
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Yes let's do Outside
Also 1989 obviously
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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We'll definitely do 1989.
There are two types of songs/albums you can request: new releases or existing releases.
A new release is a brand new single or album.
An existing release is a song that appears on a previously released album but has just been released as a single (e.g. Animals).
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Member Since: 3/4/2014
Posts: 4,777
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Imagine Dragons new single comes out 27/10 can we review it?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 2,327
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by Cupid
Still waiting for Sound Of A Woman, a few other people requested it too. Came out Oct 21st.
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Actually, I think you're the first request. I searched this thread and you did mention it a few weeks back.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 10,569
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Sound of A Woman & Big Fat Lie
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 46,848
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Can we do Beg For It by Iggy Azalea?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 59,596
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Baby Don't Lie's modscore of 98.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 13,761
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
An existing release is a song that appears on a previously released album but has just been released as a single (e.g. Animals).
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brilliant decision
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