tek's rating: 
The Singles 1992-2003
AllMusic; Amazon; Apple Music; Discogs; Interscope; Wikipedia
This is a greatest hits album, released in 2003. I'm reviewing it in 2025. It features songs from four earlier albums (two of which I own, and have already reviewed), and one new song. I wasn't quite sure where to put this review, because there are songs in various different genres (a lot of it is ska, but a lot of it isn't). I even started a new category called "catch-all", but then decided not to use it for this album. Instead, I went with "new wave", which I guess might be a broad enough category to encompass a lot of the songs on the album, if not all of them. I dunno. But I could just as well have listed the album under "rock" or "pop" or "alternative" or something else entirely. I suppose it's not too important. And I guess I'll link to some music videos from the two albums I don't own, as well as the new song, but not the ones from the albums I've already reviewed.
1. "Just a Girl" (from their third album, Tragic Kingdom): The band's breakthrough hit, too iconic not to include on this album. One of my faves.
2. "It's My Life" (new to this album): This is a cover of the 1984 song by Talk Talk. The original is good, of course, but this is the version of the song I think of more often. And it's got an interesting, sort of cinematic music video. Considering that the original is new wave, it's obvious that this version is, too. (I suppose it didn't have to be, but it is.)
3. "Hey Baby" featuring Bounty Killer (from their fifth album, Rock Steady): This song is a lot of fun. And I can't hear it or think of it without thinking of the fact that I once hoped to make an AMV about the Pokemon Bayleef. I'm kinda disappointed I never did that. Wikipedia says this is "dancehall", which sounds right to me, even if it's not a genre I normally think to name. I can certainly imagine dancing to this song, anyway.
4. "Bathwater" (from their fourth album, Return of Saturn): This is a ska punk song that I could totally imagine being on one of their earlier albums. It's another one that I consider a lot of fun.
5. "Sunday Morning" (from Tragic Kingdom): Another one of my faves.
6. "Hella Good" (from Rock Steady): This is kinda poppy and kinda funky and kinda EDM-y, but of all the No Doubt songs I can recall, it's probably the closest to being straight-up rock. Definitely good for dancing and just having fun.
7. "New" (originally from the Go soundtrack, 1999; later included on "Return of Saturn"): Before I listened to the CD, I didn't remember this song. But when I did, it was totally familiar. Y'know, this is something I might sometimes think of without remembering its name. Wikipedia calls it "alternative rock" and "pop", and that sounds right to me. (More rock than pop.) The site also mentions a new wave influence. Anyway, it's mostly a fun song that you can really bop to.
8. "Underneath It All" featuring Lady Saw (from Rock Steady): This is reggae/dancehall, and definitely softer and sweeter than most No Doubt songs. I like it a lot. Lady Saw's part is the most reggae part of the song, but the whole thing has that vibe.
9. "Excuse Me Mr." (from Tragic Kingdom): Another ska punk song. It's fun, but it gets kind of dark, at least for a bit.
10. "Running" (from Rock Steady): A synth-pop song, which is also soft and sweet. Not bad as a sort of love song. Kind of makes me feel an odd mix of nostalgia and melancholy, though the latter description may be off the mark. I dunno. It wasn't a very successful song, but I like it, even if I don't find is super memorable.
11. "Spiderwebs" (from Tragic Kingdom): Another of my faves. A really fun ska punk song.
12. "Simple Kind of Life" (from Return of Saturn): This is apparently "power pop" and "lo-fi". I'm not entirely sure what that second thing even means, but I do hear the first description in the song. But I tend to think of it as a sweeter-sounding song, even if it's definitely melancholic, or even sad.
13. "Don't Speak" (from Tragic Kingdom): One of my all-time favorite No Doubt songs, despite it being depressing. It's a power ballad, which isn't exactly one of my favorite genres, so it's surprising how much I love this song.
14. "Ex-Girlfriend" (from Return of Saturn): This is another song I mostly think of as rock, though Wikipedia says it takes influence from flamenco (which I can hear in parts of it), new wave, and hip hop. It's not a happy song by any means, but it still sounds pretty cool, I think.
15. "Trapped in a Box" (from their first album, No Doubt): This is from the days when No Doubt was almost exclusively ska punk. I find it really fun and memorable, so it's a shame it wasn't a big hit when it first came out.
Well, I guess I love this album more than I do "Tragic Kingdom", which is another of my favorite albums of all time. Unlike that album, I'm familiar with, and like or love, every song on this one. But I guess this has an unfair advantage, being a greatest hits album. Part of me wants to give it a slightly higher rating than I have, because I think the degree to which I love it more than Tragic Kingdom is greater than a quarter of a heart (I gave TK 2 and 3/4 hearts). I dunno, maybe I overestimated my appreciation for that album, and the time that I reviewed it. But looking at my list of favorite albums, I can't really justify rating this higher than any of the ones I rated 3 hearts). So, whatever. It's a great album full of great songs, regardless.