The boys of Maroon 5 have certainly come a long way since their days in the indie outfit Kara's Flowers. After the band's demise in 1999, frontman Adam Levine surrounded himself with New York City's urban hip-hop culture and found a new musical calling. Maroon 5 was born and their debut album, Songs About Jane, illustrates an impressive rebirth. Levine and his friends mixed a bit of vintage Motown, some swooning sweater rock and even a smidge of 'N Sync on their breakout hits like Harder to Breathe and This Love. With songs of rage, love and beauty, Maroon 5 gives its audience an eclectic album with distinctive taste and mass appeal.
Songs about Jane has already become a classic pop/rock album. Released way back in the summer of 2002 it’s about time fans and radio stations alike have finally taken notice to this great album. The first single, catchy and soulful Harder To Breathe, was just a tip of the iceberg and if you like variety, you have found the right album. The second single This Love blends pop, with rock and dance and is a song that you cant help singing and dancing along with. There are also ballads to choose from such as Must Get Out, which slows things down with its dreamy lyrical story, or the third single She Will Be Loved. Other standout tracks on the album include Sunday Morning, Through With You, The Sun and bluesy funk Shiver with each track on the album sounding distinctly different.
Maroon 5 have got grit and a sexy strut, personally and musically. The album is filled with lots of R&B undertones but it is also a great mix of rock and R&B. Of course Maroon 5 aren't the first band to fuse R&B and rock, but they certainly are one of the most convincing. One can almost hear Stevie Wonder's beaded braids clattering in time to their deep, funky grooves. Maroon 5 are a thoroughly engaging outfit, thanks to throbbing bass lines, hooky songs, and lead singer Adam Levin's swaggering delivery. Like a painting of a beautiful woman Songs About Jane evokes an obsession, feeling, and pure desperation mixed with love and loss. Each line of each track was filled with desire, regret, longing, and sex. Very few albums today are filled from front to back with songs liked or even loved by everybody who listens to the CD. If an artist or band can get as many hits as these guys have they'll be ecstatic. Ironically, the veteran group won a Grammy in 2005 for Best New Artist.
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