Gwen Stefani...easily one of my 90s crushes…okay…2000s crushes…and somehow still looks nearly identical to how she looked in 1993.

I loved No Doubt…thought that the “Don’t Speak” video was incredible…

When Gwen solo though…I didn’t go along for the ride. Granted…I don’t think I was the target audience for “Hollaback Girl“…but still…it just wasn’t the sound I was into at that time.

Then, for the heck of it, I decided to give Gwen’s new album “This is What the Truth Feels Like” a listen…and holy cow…blown away.

I went into it thinking, I’ll probably get through 2, maybe 3, songs and that’ll be it, and on to something else…but “Misery“, “You’re My Favorite”, “Where Would I Be?” were so awesome, I kept listening, and then re-listened, and boom…all of a sudden…one of my favorite albums of the year.

If you had told me that I would be hooked listening to an album based on “breaking up with Gavin Rossdale, and falling in love with Blake Shelton“…I would have told you you were crazy.

“Red Flag“? Great song.

“Naughty“…if I were to moonlight as a stripper, this would be my song of choice.

I’d say “Welcome back Gwen”…but she never left…but she’s back better than ever nonetheless.