Many stars that made it big in bands and groups are now taking the solo route.

Think Justin Timberlake of 'NSYNC and Beyoncé of Destiny's Child. It comes as no surprise then that Gwen Stefani, lead singer of No Doubt, has just released her first solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby.

Stefani achieved icon status in the '90s as a punk-rock princess. She used her fearless feminine angst to carve her own place in rock history and created a cult following. Almost every girl wanted to be Stefani with her platinum hair, ruby lips and self-confident attitude, especially after she married the yummy Bush front man Gavin Rossdale.

Stefani created her own super-star style and took the music world by storm.

This is probably the reason why her first solo album was so highly anticipated.

This is also the reason that it was so suprising that the record fell short of expectations.

In No Doubt, Stefani brought an energy and freshness with her spunky lyrics and funky delivery. She was very experimental, but in my opinion she goes too far with her new CD. For one thing, she seems to have completely forgotten her punk-rock background.

The CD is dominated by mostly rap and '80s techno beats.

Her track "Bubble Pop Electric" is probably the best way to describe half of the songs on the record. I was expecting really powerful rock tunes but instead I got cheesy and downright weird tracks like "Harajuku Girls." I guess Stefani was going for the whole '80s Japanese invasion thing or something. Her signature voice is electronically altered on some tracks making it downright annoying. I love the '80s as much as anyone else, but I'm not feeling the Gwen Stefani version of the decade.

Other tracks on the record have a rap influence, and she collaborates with several stars and even throws in some covers. A major problem with this is that the originals were better and will always be better.

The disc includes a cover of "Rich Girl" featuring Eve.

Stefani's use of the beat from Notorious B.I.G.'s hit "Big Poppa" made me cringe on the track "Luxurious."

I give her credit for finding influences in different genres, but it is not cool that she absolutely butchers a classic rap favorite. The last track features Andre 3000 and he totally outshines Stefani. I think it is great to see that she is working with different artists, but she should not try to make herself fit their style.

The whole album felt kind of calculated and lacked the genuine heart-felt songs that Stefani is famous for. Her lyrics are repetitive and lack real feeling. It seems like she was chanting the same words over and over in some of the songs. I think the problem with most of the CD is that she is trying to combine too many and, in the process, she loses her own voice.

I think Stefani may be confusing herself with a credible rap artist or a Madonna-ish '80s star.

The sooner she rediscovers her inner rock goddess, the better. Don't get me wrong: I still think Gwen Stefani is awesome, but her new CD is definitely not.