Maroon 5 has been described as a band of many different genres. The confusion still remains. When they debuted “Songs About Jane” back in 2002, they had a modern rock single before crossing over into the zenith of pop radio. Whatever the case may be, this genre-defying band continues to make headlines with their latest offering, “Hands All Over,” which sees the band at its funk-pop, soul-rock best. Maroon 5 will not wow listeners with weird sounds or avant-garde instrumentation, but there is no denying the talent in this tight musical outfit, evidenced by this batch of songs.
“Misery” is the album’s opener and supplies more of the same from Maroon 5. This song is relatively standard material from the band, which again showcases their raw talent in a polished, radio-friendly package.
The same can be said of the slick and sultry “Give a Little More.” The song is a solid pop tune, with singer Adam Levine once again establishing himself as a formidable harmonist. The band slows things down – but only slightly – with the throwback-tinged “Stutter.” As the title suggests, the song is about being stricken by a “fantasy girl in seven parts of the world.” It will put a smile on the face of anyone who can identify.
“Don’t Know Nothing” is a song that you might expect to hear on a 90s pop mix tape, with Maroon 5 proving that they are never shy to borrow from their old-school influences.
“Never Gonna Leave This Bed” is similar to “Won’t Go Home Without You” of their previous album, with soaring vocals belying a message of contrite brokenness. Just as in its predecessor, Levine sings his sorrow while making promises that one can tell he is bound to break again eventually. Seriously, does this guy never learn? What is he doing that makes all the girls angry with him? Anyways, in this edition, Levine sings “Wake you up in the middle of the night to say I will never walk away again/I’m never gonna leave this bed.” If that is his idea of making amends, then one might understand why he is always losing his women. Levine’s love life notwithstanding, I would have to say “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” is one of the musically stronger songs on the record, with a melodic hook that is simply brilliant.
The quintet takes things into the R&B with “I Can’t Lie.” Maroon 5 pulls off this particular genre with the poise and confidence that would not be expected from a rock band. The song recalls some of the earliest Maroon 5 material from “Songs About Jane” – pure, blue-eyed soul with little post-production elements to hinder the song. The band’s last effort suffered at times from over-production, so it is definitely good to see them dial that back a bit on this record.
The first dud comes on the title track, which sounds like a bad Backstreet Boys single. It is repetitive and tired. Nothing else of note comes of the album until the Lady Antebellum-collaborated “Out of Goodbyes.” If there is one genre Maroon 5 should probably stay out of, it is country. So as a result, this collaboration seems a bit confused and will attract the sell-out vigilante crowd. Bad move.
Album ending failure aside, the band has once again pulled together a great effort all around, keeping to the spirit of what makes the band great: excellent technical skill and solid instrumentation all around.
