No Doubt - How Has No Doubt’s Return Faired With The Critics?

No Doubt getting back together were the words on everyone’s lips, but now that it’s confirmed, and Push and Shove has been released, what do people think of their comeback?

Well – drumroll please – it’s great! Their first album for over a decade has proven to be a success, with the L.A Times saying: “At its best, "Push and Shove" channels some of the infectiously restless energy of "Rock Steady," the band's pre-hiatus farewell. And it further polishes a bold mix-and-match aesthetic that feels familiar today in part because of records such as "Tragic Kingdom." With so many people anticipating the renaissance of their eclectic style, the band were probably under more pressure than ever before, but they seem to have dealt with it well. “No Doubt aren't just 11 years older than they were when they released their last LP. They're determined to be wiser. Push and Shove leans toward synthpop-flavored ballads with grown-up themes: relationship struggles, the rewards of long-term romance,” writes Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone.

So the comeback is going well, where so many have failed, but even Gwen Stefani, the band’s mercurial front, wasn’t certain of success, according to The Daily Herald. “That’s pretty complicated stuff when you start to really look at it,” the 42-year-old lead singer and lyricist said. “You’re playing this role your whole life — the singer of No Doubt — totally committed to this in the greatest kind of way, and then all of a sudden, you’re saying, ‘Actually, you guys cannot be No. 1 anymore or else this is not going to work.’”