No Doubt rocks with new album

headliners in their own right, singer gwen stefani and her bandmates in no doubt were so eager to showcase their forthcoming album, rock steady, that they started touring as an opening act two months before the cd was due for release. and this time round, the southern california quartet has a bit less to prove than it did for its last album, return of saturn, in the spring of 2000. that release was two years in the making amid self doubt and daunting expectations generated by the success of the band's 1995 effort, tragic kingdom, which spawned the hits just a girl and don't speak and sold a staggering 15 million copies. ''this record comes from an easier place,'' says guitarist tom dumont, 33, ''we came out of the success of tragic kingdom and the last record still really good friends and... adjusted to all the kind of weirdness that comes with popularity. so, this time, we weren't so concerned with what people think or anything. we were, 'let's just make songs we think are cool, maybe have a little more fun this time'. '' stefani says the overall feel of rock steady was inspired by the tour no doubt did to support return to saturn — and particularly by their parties on the road. ''our dream was to actually have a record we could be dancing to in a club, because that's what we like to do,'' she says, ''so we just started there, and we wrote all the tracks like that.'' while no doubt was working, stefani unwittingly did her part to keep the band in the public eye too. duets she recorded with moby (south side) and eve (let me blow ya mind) became hits, establishing her as a solo but also attaching the band's name to some high-profile successes. ''we were really proud of her — 'that's our girl!,' y'know?,'' recalls dumont, ''gwen is the face of our band, and when people think of her, they think of no doubt too.'' stefani agrees. ''the world moves so quickly and people forget about you,'' she says, ''to be able to be part of those things and be visible... i think it helped keep people aware of us. when no doubt comes out, it's like, 'oh yeah, no doubt, that gwen chick's band!' the thing about us is we've never limited ourselves as far as, stylistically, what we could do. we've always taken our inspirations and tried to filter them into our music somewhere and make it our own.'' the latest release continues that approach, with an emphasis on catchy melodies and danceable rhythms — and a distinct leaning toward caribbean styles.