"Hollaback Girl" features a sultriness similar to Kelis' "Milkshake," which makes sense, since the track was produced by The Neptunes (the crew that spawned Kelis). The fierceness of the first single, "What You Waiting For?," is attributable not just to Stefani's moxie, but that of co-writer Linda Perry.

When Stefani's not hippity-hopping, most points of musical reference are '80s: "The Real Thing" screams New Order, "Serious" could have been written by Kool and The Gang, and, amazingly, "Danger Zone" doesn't contain any references to the movie "Top Gun."

The stronger material--as always--revolves around Stefani's personal lyrics. To wit: after all the Tony Kanal "you-broke-my-heart" hits on previous No Doubt albums ("Don't Speak," "Ex-Girlfriend," etc.), she embraces a "let's-be-friends" approach on the synth mattress of the Dallas Austin-produced "Cool."

"It's good to see you now with someone else/and it's such a miracle that you and me are still good friends/after all that we've been through/I know we're cool."

Chances are, fans of the Anaheim, CA, vocalist will think this album is hella cool, too.