Maroon Five’s ‘Songs about Jane’ appeals to all tastes with jazz, R&B, funk and rock
By Jill Bibb
Staff Writer
At first glance, Maroon 5 may seem like just another rock band trying to make it big. But it only takes one listen to their latest album, “Songs About Jane,” to discover that this Los Angeles based quintet is far from the ordinary.
With more than a touch of eccentricity, M5 artistically merges several genres of music ranging from R&B to rock, resulting in a truly remarkable sound that appeals to the masses. This tasteful mix of jazz, pop, rock and soul categorizes “Songs” as an edgy, yet well-balanced and impressive album.
Despite its fresh and innovative sound, M5 is no stranger to the music industry. Formerly known as “Kera’s Flowers”, the group has been playing gigs around town since its first appearance at The Whiskey A Go-Go, the Sunset Strip rock club, in 1995. In 1999, however, the group decided to stray from their punk/rock pop image and explore more innovative sounds. The release of M5’s “Songs” showcases that the group has matured stylistically from their earlier works, while still maintaining the high level of energy and attitude that has always been their appeal.
Perhaps in direct correlation with the title of the album, M5’s lyrics take the listener on a non-stop roller coaster of emotions, with each song expressing the multitude of feelings everyone has experienced in a relationship of any kind. Now don’t worry — mushy couple-skate dedication songs are nowhere to be found on this album. Instead, M5 delivers lyrics that blend creatively masked analogies with just the right amount of blatancy. This artful compilation definitely makes M5’s lyrics stand out above others with similar content.
The first released single and coincidently the first track from the album, “Harder to Breathe” has a powerful rhythm and packs just enough punch to provide a baseline for its potent lyrics. Mixed in with a great bridge and a funk-filled electric guitar solo, M5 has created a great opener to the album and a radio hit with staying power.
The formulaic rock ballad, “She Will Be Loved” offers a great chorus that is sure to encourage sing-alongs each time it’s played. Lead singer Adam Levine’s vocals really stand out on this track, and the more traditional sound of the song keeps the album grounded.
Though all the songs are superb, there’s just something about the swanky track “Sunday Morning” that stands out and is sure to be a favorite among many. The soulful beat and smooth harmonies support the beautiful lyrics that embody all things good about lazy days and Sunday mornings. Not that “Songs” needs any one track to carry it, but this song certainly can be seen as the highlight of the album .
In all, the magic of “Songs” is its thoughtful composition and its natural sounding mixture of deep-felt poetry and foot-tapping rhythms. This album is a cutting-edge compilation that offers a little something for everyone in a very big way.
In an industry saturated with fabricated pop groups and categorized musical extremes, M5’s “Songs” is a refreshing change of pace that will deservingly earn a widespread fan base stemming from multiple genres.
September 11, 2003