"Rock Steady" marks No Doubt's second album, post-stardom. And it's a nice album. After two albums of deeply personal ramblings from Gwen Stefani, we get a party album with lots of great dance songs, focusing more on the band than Gwen - very different from No Doubt's previous style.

Where the past two albums have been centered around Gwen's personal life, wants and needs, Rock Steady just pushes to have a good time, and succeeds. After a short intro, a snippet from the closer, "Rock Steady," the two hit singles come out and play. "Hella Good" and "Hey Baby" barely classify are rock. Groovy, though. They're just songs that want to get people moving on the dance floor. Nothing wrong with that. "Underneath It All," the third single, is pretty much the same thing, but softer.

I could go on, song by song, but I'd be repeating myself before long. "Danceable" and "sexy" can both be used to describe just about every song on here, except for "Rock Steady" and "Running," the two true ballads here. "Running" sounds like a post-proposal version of "Simple Kind of Life," and it's just fine and dandy. "Rock Steady's" main purpose is to close the album, and it's nothing spectacular. However, the best song here is "Waiting Room," produced by Prince with the Artists Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince and now known as Prince again on backing vocals. The thunderous drums and effects elevate this one above the rest.

Hmm… This review seems rather short, but, well, there isn't much to say. It's a fun album. The band plays while Gwen croons over it. No crazy revelations, no messages about wanting to get married, no stories of heartbreak or breakup. Just some good grooves for a good time. And, sometimes, that's all a band needs to do.