Pop these days equates to the music you like, but deny to worldlier friends. The guilty pleasures that have you dancing in front of the mirror, blinds shut to judging eyes. Thank you, Britney Spears.
Maroon 5, on the other hand, seems to enjoy the distinction of being a pop band that even your art professor can enjoy. Bold statement, yes. But to get straight to the point, Maroon 5 is proof that to be mainstream doesn’t always mean bubblegum girls in garters. Here is the exception to the rule. Here is your music with substance.
Call them innovative. It’s hard to place where Maroon 5’s sound lies in the grand scheme of things when they meld together so much so seamlessly. This is an eclectic listener’s treasure trove; the band offers so much orally (while maintaining authenticity) that it’s a wonder the CD itself doesn’t explode in your stereo.
Everything that ‘Songs about Jane’ was in 2002, ‘It Won’t Be Soon Before Long’ is for 2007 in a little black dress, adding a sharper edge and sex appeal to their already respectable style.
‘If I Never See Your Face Again’ opens the album and the listener to rock with funk inflection. The synthesizer accompanying lead singer Adam Levine’s vocals recalls Prince – think ‘Raspberry Beret’ had it been meant for lounges and not Studio 54.
‘Makes Me Wonder,’ the record’s first single, was #1 on the Billboard Charts in May for good reason. Slick, sensual, and a shining example of’ their musical prowess, the album’s only just started and you can’t help but move.
Call them inventive. As the album progresses, one can see that the music and sharp lyrics concern those most familiar theme – love, heartache, and of course, sex – while going in still new directions.
Levine is quite the balladeer. Every song is personal, and yet powerfully resonant with the listener. ‘I Won’t Go Home Without You,’ like it’s elder sister ‘She Will Be Loved,’ tells its story with such emotion, it begs tears.
Meanwhile, their music continues to push the envelope. In an interview with New.com.au,’ Levine said of the album, ‘It’s a vast improvement, a step up – you can dance to it, there’s a little more attitude.” That attitude is borrowed from funk, electronica, jazz, soul, and R&B all at once and it shows throughout the work, defining their sound.
The masterful ‘Kiwi’ is only one must-hear on the album, but it deserves mention as it does all of what Levine describes and so well. Fast-paced, funky, and very sexy, it only proves the band’s mastery of their craft. Even the bonus track, the arguable soul standard ‘Infatuation,’ is nothing short of inspired. Everything on this album works and works brilliantly.
Maroon 5 is in the vanguard of musical progression, but without pretension. Yes, they remain pop, but pop here implies popular and for all the right reasons. Pop for those seeking something new in their favorite section in FYE. Call them anything, but definitely call Maroon 5 music worth listening to.
