Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider worked with No Doubt on one of my favorite albums of the early 2000’s, Return of Saturn; Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic notes:  “No Doubt’s desire to expand the emotional template of new wave is the perfect match for [Gwen] Stefani’s themes – she may be writing about love, but she’s not writing adolescent love songs.  Fragments of her teenaged romantic fantasies remain, but she’s writing as a woman in her late 20’s.  She’s tired of being another ‘ex-girlfriend’ – she wants to fall in love, get married, and have a family.  It’s a subject that’s surprisingly uncommon in pop music, which would alone make Return of Saturn an interesting album.  What makes it a successful one is that the band delivers an aural equivalent of Stefani’s lyrical themes. . . .  Surprisingly, they pull it off – it’s a far stronger record than Tragic Kingdom, even if the catchiest numbers don’t have the same swagger and punch as their previous hit singles.  So be it.  With Return of Saturn, No Doubt have made a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom.  Not only have they found their voice, they know what to do with it.” 

(April 2015/2)