I’ve been a huge fan of Gwen Stefani since I was in high school, back to the days of No Doubt’s Beacon Street Collection.  Throughout the years, I’ve always been really drawn to No Doubt and Gwen.  Something about the music she writes totally gets me.  Gwen’s voice has been my frequent companion throughout many years and stages in my life via all of her No Doubt records and solo endeavors.

I love Gwen’s style of music and especially love how crystal clear she is in her lyrics.  She feels like a good friend, in that you know exactly what is going on in her life by what she pens to music.  As we saw in Tragic Kingdom, those personal experiences drive her writing and we come to relate to her so well listening to her music. Given the tumultuous year she has had with the end of her marriage and new found love, we knew this album was going to be loaded with very intimate details and insights into her life.  So, I was very anxious to hear her new album, This Is What The Truth Feels Like.

I was thrilled to get a sneak peek* of her album yesterday and I CAN’T STOP listening to it! As expected, she is very transparent in her lyrics and unloads her heartache and hopes for a new future within every single song on the album.  We’ve heard the heartbreaking Used to Love You, which I love, the upbeat Make Me Like You, as well as her latest Misery, which talks about moving forward.

All of these songs are fantastic, but certainly not the only hits on this compilation.  You have to check out the entire album, as each song takes you on a journey, exploring every emotion imaginable.  While we haven’t all experienced the exact same things Gwen has, they are all so incredibly relatable and heartfelt.  I can’t get enough of Me Without You, a great break up anthem. Another great song is Truth.  This song is cautiously hopeful and you find yourself happy for Gwen that she is finding happiness after all the dark and sadness.

I’m so glad we have the insight into Gwen’s life through her music.  Gwen’s honest and reflective album is going to go far and all I can say is I am rooting for her all the way.

You can pick up your own copy, available today, at iTunes and at Target.  If you pick up your copy at Target, you get the added bonus of four extra tracks, so you will definitely want to check that out!  I know I am going to pick up one myself, as I can’t wait to hear what else she has to say.