Maroon 5 Album: “Songs About Jane”

Maroon 5 brings to us a brilliant mix of soul, rock, funk, and R&B so slickly crafted that most people won�t 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 70�s 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 singer�s 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 you�re a woman, age 18-30 and you�re single, check out Maroon 5 live, because from listening to Mr. Levine�s lyrics, I can tell you one thing � this guy LOVES women.

Okay, not everyone will agree with me when I call this 'pop', but personally I think Maroon 5 is just about the best pop music around at the moment.

As for the extra tracks on this 'Asian' version... 3 out of the 4 aren't special. The acoustic versions of "Harder to Breathe" and "She Will be Loved" appear to be lifted straight from the acoustic 1.22.03 EP (that's the recording date given for both). They're pleasant enough but not a match for the studio versions. The Kanye West remix of "This Love" strikes me as pretty average, but I'm not a fan of remixes generally and may be biased.

The REAL bonus here is "Rag Doll", a bluesy song over 5 minutes long that is every bit as good as the main album. If you're thinking of buying the album anyway, this track is the reason to give serious consideration to getting the 16-track version.

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...

SONGS ABOUT JANE is a great album and the extra track on this import is a GREAT SONG. It is a piano based ballad. However you can save a lot of money and get more for your money by simply buying the regular version of SONGS ABOUT JANE along with the HARDER TO BREATHE SINGLE.

The single includes RAGDOLL along with the video of HARDER TO BREATHE.

So for about 15 less dollars you can have all of the songs on this album plus the video of their first single by simply buying the American version of SONGS ABOUT JANE and the SINGLE for HARDER TO BREATHE

If you like Maroon 5's radio hits then you'll like the cd. Most songs have the same urban feel to them. Like one, you'll like them all.