SONGS ABOUT JANE is sure to become a classic pop/rock album.Released way back in the summer of 2002 its about time fans and radio stations alike have finally taken notice to this great album. The first single 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 as well and I would look for either MUST GET OUT or SHE WILL BE LOVED to be possible single choices sometime in the near future.Other standout tracks on the album include SUNDAY MORNING, THROUGH WITH YOU & THE SUN with each track on the album sounding distinctly differant.There are definate R & B/funk influences all over this album and will all of the rap songs and R & B ballads taking over the pop charts these days, it is very refreshing to hear a group like Maroon 5 and songs like HARDER TO BREATHE and THIS LOVE getting significant play at radio.Buy this album today and be prepared to sing and dance all day and make sure you catch them live when they come to a town near you. Songs About Jane
Maroon 5 brings to us a brilliant mix of soul, rock, funk, and R&B so slickly crafted that most people wont know how to take them. The intense vocal range of frontman Adam Levine is matched perfectly by this incredibly smooth band. Dueling guitars, jazzy keys, and a rhythm section cooler than Barry White in the late 70s bring this massive sound to a head.The harmonies brought forth on this disc bear an uncanny resemblance to Michael Jackson, though the utter lack of synth-pop backing, creates a sound all its own. The album, Songs About Jane, is clearly devoted primarily the relationships and love-life of Levine, who is also the bands main songwriter. Probably the most outright pop tune on the album would be She Will be Loved, which happens to tell the most interesting story lyrically. This track is apparently about the singers infatuation and empathy toward an attractive young prostitute, who he visits frequently in an attempt to make her feel as beautiful as she is.It is difficult to pick out standout tracks on an album like this, where every song is so equally fantastic. The...funk-tastic tune Not Coming Home, along with the slowed down lounge groove, Secret, are 2 of my personal favorites, although every song on here has strength alone. The first single, which to this point has only received minimal notice and success, Harder to Breathe, is clearly the most alternative of the album. Sweetest Goodbye is also a great way to wrap this album up and leave the listener smiling from this R&B tinged love song.Overall, this may be one of the best albums of 2002. The talent for writing great pop tunes that stray from the synth-pop and electronic influences of current radio mainstays may make this album great, but I can imagine the difficulty in marketing a band like this to mainstream audiences who fight tooth and nail to place everything in categories and genres. If you really want a great band to chill and relax to, but one that never falls into the category of background music then Maroon 5 is for you. And if youre a woman, age 18-30 and youre single, check out Maroon 5 live, because from listening to Mr. Levines lyrics, I can tell you one thing this guy LOVES women.9/10<
Maroon 5 emerged onto the college scene in 1999 as Kara's Flowers. After their first release on Reprise Records, (The Fourth World), they were dropped by the label. They subsequently fine-tuned their unique sound and were signed by Octone Records (an indie division of J-Records/Clive Davis) in 2002. That same year, Songs About Jane was released. It is a worthy project from a group of talented artists that defies categorization fusing a mixture of genres into a finely tuned work of modern art. The now platinum status of this CD is evidence of the group's hard work and burgeoning mass appeal. Stand out tracks are the 2003 hit Harder to Breathe and the current top ten hit This Love. She Will Be Loved is a slower yet just as appealing mellow tune that adds to the diversity of this disc. Tangled and The Sun will help you get your funk on while Sunday Morning is a fun, hip tune that will have you singing along. The key to this CD's success is the diversity of musical styles. It never leaves one with a bland feeling, constantly surprising the listener with a mixture of Rock, Soul, Funk and R&B. A musical delight from beginning to end, Maroon 5 should have a bright future.
Maroon 5 was on Last Call with Carson Daly a few weeks ago, and at that point, I had never heard of them. When they came on, the only thought in my mind was how much the lead singer looks like the lead singer of Train. But then they started playing, and they were a mix of old-school funk, new age rock, and a little Rx Bandits, being that it seems like every instrument in the band has the "leading the band" feel. It's a very dominant band, and an even more dominant CD. The effects are used at the right time, and the songs are some of the most well-written songs I've ever heard under or above ground. Maroon 5 may be too soft for some people... But if you truly want to hear great music that you really don't hear everyday, check out Maroon 5. I'll be looking for them on tour...
What can I say but this is an AMAZING CD. I first saw Maroon 5 on "Last Call with Carson Daly" on NBC last September 2002. I was replaying a tape I had made of the previous night's show to watch when I came home from work. (I can never stay up late enough to watch the original broadcasts). It was near the end of the show, and Carson had spent most of the program interviewing some actress (Parker Posey or Piper Perabu -- someone with a lot of 'P's in their name) and I got up to get some food. I was half way to the kitchen and I started hearing this unbelievably funky music coming out of my TV.I ran back to my set, and I couldn't believe my eyes. There were five white guys playing the most soulful, funky music I've heard in a L-O-N-G time. Maroon 5 played their first single, "Harder to Breathe". I was impressed enough to save their performance on tape instead of taping over it with the next night's show.I'm an R&B fan mostly, and I have a pretty good knowledge of most soul and R&B music. I know there hasn't been an R&B or soul band on the charts since Toni, Tony, Tone (Raphael Sadiq) called it quits in 1996. Maroon 5 is a unique combination of soul, funk and rock music. The closest comparison I can come up with is the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and as much as I like the Chilli Peppers, I think that Maroon 5's lead singer, Adam Levine, has a voice with more range than Anthony Kiedis of the Chilli Peppers.I made a mental note to myself to check out their CD the next time I had a chance, and when I was at Borders a few days later, I sampled selections from their CD, "Songs About Jane". You know you have a keeper when you don't even skip over tracks when you're sampling the CD in a record store. I bought the CD right there, played the CD in my car the rest of that day, and it has been in heavy rotation in my CD changer ever since.I also caught Maroon 5 live opening for O.A.R. at the House of Blues in L.A. last November 2002. I was totally blown away. They are a phenomenal live band -- raw, hot, sexy, full of kinetic energy. Since then, I learned that 4 out of 5 of the members of Maroon 5 are from right here in L.A.(my home). They have got to be L.A.'s best kept secret. When I look at the stuff that's on the charts right now, I don't see any bands that even come close to what they are doing, which explains why they haven't broken out yet. But it will happen, believe me it will happen. Real SOON.I just bought tickets to see them perform as a headliner this time at the House of Blues on January 27, 2003 and I know they are going to set that stage on fire. Even John Mayer (grammy nominee), who Maroon 5 supported on part of his last tour, is singing their praises. In an ad for their upcoming House of Blues shows, he is quoted as saying the following about Maroon 5: "The perfect blend of melody & grit. One of the best bands to come along in a while."If you like funk/rock or rock/soul music -- heck if you like music that has a fantastic melody, and lyrics that complement the music perfectly, you will love this CD.Don't sleep on this one! You will be sorry you did. - Maroon 5 - Dance Pop - Adult Alternative'
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