 The album was generally criticized for its large number of collaborations and producers . The Guardian 's Caroline Sullivan argued that although " others lend a hand [ ... ] it 's very much Stefani 's show " ; however , most others disagreed . Jason Damas of PopMatters compared the album to a second No Doubt greatest hits album , and Pitchfork Media 's Nick Sylvester felt that the large number of collaborators result in sacrificing Stefani 's identity on the album . Anthony Carew of Neumu expressed that the album 's fragmentation kept it from being " a bright @-@ and @-@ shiny pop @-@ music tour @-@ de @-@ force " . Most reviewers held that the collaborations prevented the album from having a solidified sound . Eric Greenwood wrote for Drawer B that " Stefani tries to be all things to all people here " , but that the result " comes off as manipulative and contrived . " Entertainment Weekly 's David Browne shared this opinion , stating that the album " is like one of those au courant retail magazines that resembles a catalog more than an old @-@ fashioned collection of , say , articles . " 
