"Sparkle" - Gabrial McNair

“Sparkle” (PDF) from the No Doubt album Push and Shove

While never an official band member, Los Angeles musician Gabrial McNair has been No Doubt’s trombonist since 1993, first appearing on the band’s second album The Beacon Street Collection. Throughout their transition from punk ska to new wave to dancehall to electropop, McNair’s contributions - alongside trumpeter Stephen Bradley - have not only showcased his diverse background in the performing arts but have also made him one of the most sought after players in the industry - he’s collaborated with Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Lenny Kravitz, Shirley Manson, Sublime with Rome, Tegan & Sara, and appeared in Gwen Stefani’s Las Vegas residency. McNair also performs with his own band, Oslo, and produces original music for film and television.

The making of No Doubt’s 2012 album Push and Shove took its toll on the band’s creativity. With Stefani having embarked on a solo career and the growing popularity of reggaeton, No Doubt attempted to include perhaps too many influences on the album - the dub reggae trombone solo on “Sparkle” almost feels out of place on the song co-written by Eurthymics’ Dave Stewart, who also helped to pen No Doubt’s previous hit “Underneath It All.” But the band’s appearance at Coachella in 2024 proved to any - ahem - doubters that they can still deliver in the modern landscape, and perhaps the next evolution of No Doubt may indeed be on the horizon.

Here is a YouTube video of No Doubt performing “Sparkle” from their 2015 reunion tour:

Recommended reading: In Defense of Ska: Expanded 2nd Ed. by Aaron Carnes. Published by Clash Books.