Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10

Truth is subjective, what one believes to be accurate, genuine feelings of bona fide existence, is in the eyes of another something of a misinterpretation, a misunderstanding between what is heard and what is conceived in the emotionally torn heart; delusion between two souls is often the case for fall out, especially when one insists that This Is What The Truth Feels Like.

The better part of a decade has gone past since Gwen Stefani released a solo album and away from the pressures of No Doubt, the music flows from her soul in a way that perhaps is not in keeping with the perceived image, the Rock star heroine, the rightfully uncontrollable force of nature who makes music lover’s knees go weak at the thought of her voice and whose lyrics are fleshed out and can wound like a cornered animal fighting for its life. In the arena of the solo album the songs are more sassy, pop driven cheek given airing and the ever so naughty being bundled up and placed in a cupboard draw until it’s time to shed the image; whilst this truth is not a bad thing, it really does make the listener pine for the vocalist who makes the Rock song powerful and bruising.

This Is What The Truth Feels Like is an enjoyable diversion, it follows the established route that the two previous solo albums took and whilst the other path is not far away, a short stumble through the guitar driven trees, the shrubbery of bass and the collective wildlife snarl of drums, still the energetic and vivacious drama of the popular path calls with lively focus and bubbly spirit.

In tracks such as You’re My Favourite, Make Me Like You, the feisty Used To Love You and Asking 4 It Gwen Stefani adds a distinctive colour and charm to her life but at the same time there is the feeling of neglect, of a missing part somehow consumed and relegated away from the overall stylised performance. The songs are good; they have a hive of activity surrounding them that an ant colony would be jealous of, however there is nothing worse than finding a part of the soul has gone astray. A decade has gone by and the sense of truth is once more left in the eye of beholder.

Ian D. Hall