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I've been listening a lot to Maroon 5's album, Songs About Jane. A lot. It's a wonderful album, a little more rock than the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a little less funk than Jamiroquai, just as syncoptic as early Incubus, and a lot tighter in its writing than just about anything else out there right now. While it is relatively new, it is an instant classic and a must-own for anyone of any age who appreciates music of the highest quality.

The singles off of the album ("Harder to Breathe", "This Love", and "She Will Be Loved") indicate just how widely Maroon 5 has been influenced. One thing that all of the singles, indeed all of the songs, share is the subject matter: love. Usually, it's an imperfect love that has been broken or otherwise touched by human pride. But that's where the similarities of the songs basically end. "Harder to Breathe" is a driving, offbeat, panicky song about suffocating in a relationship. "This Love" is an infectious anthem to finally breaking up with that someone who has toyed with breaking up to the point of frustration. "She Will Be Loved" is a sweet, sad song about trying to bring tenderness to the heart of a broken young girl.

And those are just the first singles. The entire album is full of haunting melodies ("Secret"), jarring riffs ("Through With You"), and nightclub suave ("Sunday Morning"). The music is impeccable with many, many layers of strings, piano, guitars, and electronics. One of the more vibrant layers is the vocals; Adam Levine's voice is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder if he went on a short smoking binge. The little bit of grit offsets the higher tenor pitch to make it still feel very rockish, as opposed to slipping into the R&B category. That grit comes through not just materially in his voice, but conceptually in his lyrics, like in "Shiver":

Immobilized by the thought of you
Paralyzed by the sight of you
Hypnotized by the words you say
Not true but I believe anyway

One of the more pleasing elements about Maroon 5 in general is not actually on the album - it's in their live show. While I haven't seen a live live show, I've seen them perform on Hard Rock Live, and their sound is perfect. They don't play their songs exactly as they appear on the album, but their musical prowess is on full display.

In summary: do yourself a favor and buy this album.

Posted by pcg at January 6, 2005 10:34 PM