Pros A handful of excellent songs, very catchy, well produced...
Cons Not consistent, not focused, sometimes repetitive
The Bottom Line If you're looking for a light-hearted (but still S-E-X-Y) summer album, why not check out the Maroon 5 debut Songs About Jane?
Full Review
Maroon 5 isn’t an innovative band. Entertaining, yes, but their music doesn’t smack of creative energy. What it is however is a breath of fresh air. It’s certainly pop but unlike much of what we hear on the radio it is not typical. I’m not going to call it perfect, but I will say Maroon 5 make vaguely groovy and incredibly enjoyable music.
While I enjoy the band’s debut Songs About Jane, I must admit to being very hesitant about picking up. Consider for a moment it took me at least two full years to break down. I hate jumping on bandwagons and refuse the descriptor “trendy” which time and time again leads me to awkward conversations and embarrassment. I’m not sure I’m as ashamed about my misstep this time around as the album isn’t truly great, however considering the hip summery feel I could have stood to hear it earlier than a month ago. It is immediately striking as upbeat, good-natured, and sentimental.
Maroon 5 actually came to be after the dissolution of New York indie rock band Kara’s Flowers and members Adam Levine (vocals, guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keys), Mickey Madden (bass) and drummer Ryan Dusick were left without an outlet. The band didn’t feel at home being “indie” even after a major label debut. A reinvention was in the cards and with new guitarist James Valentine the band went on to win a Best New Artist Grammy in 2005 and sell to four times platinum (to date). Of course awards and sales are no means synonymous with either long term success or my level of personal enjoyment, but fortunately in the case of Maroon 5 it’s hard not to deem their debut pleasant.
Pleasant doesn’t explain the Grammy, but it does describe my overall assessment of Songs About Jane. The many hits are scattered throughout the title. You know them by heart. Oh yes--Harder to Breathe, This Love, She Will Be Loved, and Sunday Morning are wedged deeply into my soul after many months of airplay over 2003, 2004, and 2005. Maroon 5 may not be all they are cracked up to be, but still Levine and company make the songs more than a little difficult to ignore. Levine’s unusual mid-upper range twang helps to set the band’s sound apart from other popular acts. Along with their overall cool, smooth, and adorable factors Maroon 5 is undeniably engaging.
I personally think the most striking song is also the first--Harder to Breathe. Levine growls with a smooth swagger and is bolstered by groovy great guitars. However what really gets me though is the chorus, especially when the singer slows things down and breathily utters, “It’s getting harder and harder to breathe.” It’s an infectious song, but also oozes sex and sensuality. Maroon 5 certainly makes a fabulous impression with their first track. In addition, I think Harder to Breathe was a perfect choice for first single.
The song that most people associate with the band is likely the chipper pop ditty This Love. It’s a tidy, entertaining, bright, and amiable song that will certainly appeal to pop fans. I enjoy the fact that it is so full of life without sacrificing musicianship for mass appeal. Maroon 5 may not be bad boys, but they are definitely the kinds of guys a gal could fall in love with on first listen. Songs About Jane continues on with the slightly disappointing Shiver. It’s still a nice song, but I think they get carried away with the drums and guitar solos. These are songs that don’t need those extra flourishes. Plus, there’s the fact that guitar solos in pop songs went out with hair metal.
She Will Be Loved features the band back in their pop groove. The slow, emotional song is extremely lovely with oddly paced lyrics and mild layers of keys, guitars, and percussion. It’s a truly lovely piece that was an easy choice for a single. From this point on however, Songs About Jane loses momentum. This isn’t to say that the songs are difficult to stomach, rather the band proves early on what they are capable of much more than is exhibited on the uninspired “soulful” song Tangled, The Sun which lacks any real direction or emotion, and the sickly-sweet Must Get Out. Fortunately, Songs About Jane picks up the pace with the cool jazzy melodies of Sunday Morning. Levine sways with a mature confidence that belies his chronological age and the light-hearted nature of the album.
The four final songs are hit and miss. Secret is a slow, lovely track. Levine shows restraint and a gift for pacing. The same goes for the band, but especially Carmichael’s critically important work on the piano. It’s not my favorite track mostly because it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the material. Indeed, it’s pretty but Secret leaves me dry after just a few listens. Through With You tries to be pushy and groovy in much the same way as Harder to Breathe, but in this unfortunate song’s case it isn’t nearly as appealing musically. Not Coming Home is a fine enough song, but I’m endlessly annoyed by the “crowd.” I say “crowd” because I’m convinced the whistles and screams are added in production. It’s ridiculous, but as far as the song goes it’s fine enough. The most obvious thing I draw from the song is that Levine is a fan of Michael Jackson circa Thriller. The chanted, quick-fire chorus is enough to make me laugh—I’m left waiting for the King of Pop’s trademark woo-hoo as a bonus.
Sweetest Goodbye is a decent way to close Songs About Jane. While not up to par with my favorites of this album, I can’t help but enjoy the performance. It juxtaposes a ballad with a groovy, mid-tempo chorus. In the end, I suppose I couldn’t hope for a better album ender. Maroon 5 has definitely caught my attention, though considering this album was released three years ago it will be interesting to see what they’ve got up their sleeve next.
Songs About Jane is a tidy, entertaining, energetic, and sexy album. The band doesn’t try to be more profound than they actually are. These are five guys who are well aware they make slightly off-center pop music. It’s not the usual kind of thing you hear on the radio or MTV, and for that I thank Maroon 5. If you’d like more musical inspiration from the band you’ll have to wait. They released an acoustic album (1.22.03.Acoustic) in 2004 which didn’t exactly burn up the charts. As far as a new studio album goes, that will happen some time in early 2006 but I can say a DVD is due out in September. Whatever—just buy this album if you haven’t yet.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Harder to Breathe
02. This Love
03. Shiver
04. She Will Be Loved
05. Tangled
06. The Sun
07. Must Get Out
08. Sunday Morning
09. Secret
10. Through With You
11. Not Coming Home
12. Sweetest Goodbye
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