The Sweet Escape is the second solo studio album by American singer and songwriter
Gwen Stefani, released on December 1, 2006 by
Interscope Records. Having originally intended to return to
No Doubt after her debut solo album,
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004), Stefani decided to record a second album as a way to release some of the material left over from the
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. writing sessions. The album musically resembles its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds. It was released to generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, receiving criticism for its strong similarities to
Love. Angel. Music. Baby.