Gwen Stefani - Luxurious Single Review

Gwen Stefani
"Luxurious"
Interscope
Released 05/12/2005
Single

It's been over a year since Gwen Stefani unleashed her first efforts outside of her band No Doubt, and it's fair to say her success has been nothing short of spectacular. "Love Angel Music Baby" has proved to be an eclectic record, and her choices of collaboration ranging from The Neptunes to New Order were a masterstroke. However, this FIFTH single from that album seems to be little more than a money-spinning exercise.

Remixed from the album version with an additional rap from Slim Thug, "Luxurious" is trademark Stefani, this time in R'n'B mode. Her sultry voice is as seductive as ever, and the production extremely polished, but it lacks the infectiousness of her other releases. Slim Thug's contribution is needless, a point affirmed by the inclusion of the original mix, and it ends up leaving the impression that this release was unnecessary. Throughout the song Stefani talks of enjoying the finer things in life – it's no wonder she can afford them when she takes opportunities like this to cash in.

Alex Lai