Bringing Back the Funk; A Review of Maroon 5’s Sophomore Album
It Wont Be Soon Before Long that Maroon 5 becomes the most popular band of its generation. Forgive my corny pun, but Maroon 5’s new album, It Wont Be Soon Before Long, is one of the best albums I’ve heard in a while. I immediately took a liking to the band from the first time I heard their “Sunday Morning” track off of their first album, Songs About Jane; however, I wasn’t aware of how much I needed Adam Levine’s soulful voice in my life until the release of their follow up album in May 2007.
What I’ve always liked about Maroon 5 is their ability to create catchy songs that are innovative and fresh. It’s very rare that you hear a song on the radio and genuinely like it instantly; unless of course the tune is so catchy and cliché you find yourself singing along and ultimately end up hating yourself for it (cough, Avril Lavigne’s, “Girlfriend,” cough). But when I first popped the newly released It Wont Be Soon Before Long CD into my car, I immediately fell in love with every beat and lyric it contained. The band accomplished the feat of making each song sound so familiar yet so new, that I had to physically stop myself from trying to sing along to a song that I didn’t even know the lyrics to yet. Each song is so appealing in its own way, and the mix of rock and pop is blended to perfection on each track. In fact, I could see almost any track out of the 12 having hit-single potential.
Although the album contains several up-beat tracks, Maroon 5 most definitely plays on your heartstrings by singing mostly about love and the pain of heartbreak in practically every song. In this way, almost anyone can identify with the album, and furthermore, since each song is actually filled with meaningful, heartfelt lyrics, you don’t feel like your IQ just dropped 10 points from listening to a bunch of fluffy, empty words from a bubble-gum artist (Paris Hilton’s, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” wouldn’t be a stretch perhaps?).
It’s always so disappointing when you love the sound of a band’s first CD, eagerly anticipate for the second one, and are let down by how different the new album sounds. It is important for music artists to grow, but it is also important for artists to find a voice that suits them and stick with it. Maroon 5 really managed to capture their loveable Hall and Oats/The Police sound all over again, but this time with even better beats and deeper soul. This album succeeds at sounding modern, while simultaneously staying timeless, especially on bluesy tracks such as “Back at Your Door.”
Although their beats may be a bit of an imitation at times, like on their “Not Falling Apart” track, (which I had to turn up before I realized it wasn’t “Every Breath You Take,” by Sting), the truth is that once Adam Levine’s tender voice comes through your speakers, he captivates you with his sweet-sounding vocals and distinct originality. And even though it is pretty much guaranteed that you will have quite a few 80’s flashbacks when listening to their album, I say, what’s wrong with that? Just like the fashion world brought back leggings and miniskirts this year, Maroon 5 brought back a Prince and Sting flavor to the music world. Maybe it’s just me, but I think we could use a little more of that funky, retro soul from the 80’s that we all know and love so much.
Get free Maroon 5 songs at 100Tunes.com.
And in case you need a little direction, some personal favorites of mine are, “Little of Your Time,” “Won’t Go Home Without You,” “Nothing Lasts Forever,” “Goodnight, Goodnight,” “Not Falling Apart,” and “Back At Your Door.”
What I’ve always liked about Maroon 5 is their ability to create catchy songs that are innovative and fresh. It’s very rare that you hear a song on the radio and genuinely like it instantly; unless of course the tune is so catchy and cliché you find yourself singing along and ultimately end up hating yourself for it (cough, Avril Lavigne’s, “Girlfriend,” cough). But when I first popped the newly released It Wont Be Soon Before Long CD into my car, I immediately fell in love with every beat and lyric it contained. The band accomplished the feat of making each song sound so familiar yet so new, that I had to physically stop myself from trying to sing along to a song that I didn’t even know the lyrics to yet. Each song is so appealing in its own way, and the mix of rock and pop is blended to perfection on each track. In fact, I could see almost any track out of the 12 having hit-single potential.
Although the album contains several up-beat tracks, Maroon 5 most definitely plays on your heartstrings by singing mostly about love and the pain of heartbreak in practically every song. In this way, almost anyone can identify with the album, and furthermore, since each song is actually filled with meaningful, heartfelt lyrics, you don’t feel like your IQ just dropped 10 points from listening to a bunch of fluffy, empty words from a bubble-gum artist (Paris Hilton’s, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” wouldn’t be a stretch perhaps?).
It’s always so disappointing when you love the sound of a band’s first CD, eagerly anticipate for the second one, and are let down by how different the new album sounds. It is important for music artists to grow, but it is also important for artists to find a voice that suits them and stick with it. Maroon 5 really managed to capture their loveable Hall and Oats/The Police sound all over again, but this time with even better beats and deeper soul. This album succeeds at sounding modern, while simultaneously staying timeless, especially on bluesy tracks such as “Back at Your Door.”
Although their beats may be a bit of an imitation at times, like on their “Not Falling Apart” track, (which I had to turn up before I realized it wasn’t “Every Breath You Take,” by Sting), the truth is that once Adam Levine’s tender voice comes through your speakers, he captivates you with his sweet-sounding vocals and distinct originality. And even though it is pretty much guaranteed that you will have quite a few 80’s flashbacks when listening to their album, I say, what’s wrong with that? Just like the fashion world brought back leggings and miniskirts this year, Maroon 5 brought back a Prince and Sting flavor to the music world. Maybe it’s just me, but I think we could use a little more of that funky, retro soul from the 80’s that we all know and love so much.
Get free Maroon 5 songs at 100Tunes.com.
And in case you need a little direction, some personal favorites of mine are, “Little of Your Time,” “Won’t Go Home Without You,” “Nothing Lasts Forever,” “Goodnight, Goodnight,” “Not Falling Apart,” and “Back At Your Door.”
2 Comments:
very nice album review. you should get paid for that, i mean why don't you get a job as reviewing albums?
thank you for loving maroon 5 as much as i do. it's nice there are smart people who has unbiased and cool reviews of maroon 5's album. I love this album as well. I can realte to all your comments.
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