I tend to forget how much I like Maroon 5. They\u2019ve been churning out solid, soulful pop hits since I was in middle school, with songs like \u201cThis Love\u201d and \u201cMakes Me Wonder\u201d remaining radio staples. As a teenager decidedly into classic rock, I remember being embarrassed of how catchy I found the Los Angeles, California pop rockers. But listening with a reviewer\u2019s bent to their newest album, 2010\u2019s Hands All Over<\/i>, it\u2019s not hard to see why the band has been charting single after single for the better part of a decade. Between Adam Levine\u2019s unmistakable and endlessly charming vocals, the slinky guitar lines, and sultry grooves, this disc goes down easy without seeming too insubstantial. Production by the legendary Robert John \u201cMutt\u201d Lange (most recently seen on Lada Gaga\u2019s latest) undoubtedly plays a big part, stripping the band back after the slightly overdone It Won\u2019t Be Soon Before Long <\/i>(2007).<\/p>\n
Like all good pop records, Hands All Over <\/i>hits you with the singles. Opener and lead single \u201cMisery\u201d has dark undertones that belie its jangly, punchy instrumentation. Effortless harmonies and sultry guitars are a strangely apt match for the lovelorn lyrics: \u201cI am in misery \/ There ain\u2019t nobody who can comfort me \/ Why won\u2019t you answer me? \/ The silence is slowly killing me.\u201d It reminds me of The Police\u2019s \u201cEvery Breath You Take\u201d in its combination of ominous sentiment and peppy backing, with Levine saying, \u201cGirl, you really got me bad \/ I\u2019m gonna get you back.\u201d All in all, it\u2019s songs like this that make me keep listening to pop music; with so many songs seeming interchangeable and bland, you can listen to a cut like this and know instantly that it\u2019s Maroon 5. <\/p>\n
The next single, \u201cGive A Little More,\u201d finds Levine aping Michael Jackson at places in his vocals, though it\u2019s not too unnatural of a fit since Levine\u2019s voice hits such a high range. This song is slick without being too plastic, and it\u2019s a good listen. But it\u2019s \u201cStutter\u201d where the album hits its stride. The drums are powerful, backing Levine\u2019s soulful croon. Lange\u2019s production is everywhere, buffing the group to a shine; nothing seems out of place, and all the elements combine for pop greatness. <\/p>\n
With Hands All Over<\/i>, you get the sense that every song could be a single \u2013 it\u2019s that sleekly put together. Plus, Levine\u2019s voice and lyrics are oddly endearing, though they could do with more of the specificity found on Songs About Jane. <\/i>But whether it\u2019s on a ballad like \u201cNever Gonna Leave This Bed,\u201d which soars and swells like it\u2019s made to soundtrack a romantic comedy, or the amped-up title track (which has a cool George Michael feel to it), this batch of songs is a fun, easy listen.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
There\u2019s not a ton of depth to Hands All Over<\/i>, and it\u2019s probably not going to provide any divine revelations. But this is the perfect thing when you want something endlessly listenable that doesn\u2019t make you feel too empty for having listened to it on repeat for the whole afternoon (see my recent and strange obsession with Britney Spears singles). Maroon 5 is my go-to study music, but try it out on your next road trip or when you need a break from the tangles of indie. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":30731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7018],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-42405","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-maroon-5","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42405"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}