As you are probably very aware indeed, I do quite like a bit of Maroon 5. Partially because they do jolly good tunes that stick in your head for ages. Partially because they are pretty phenomenal live and ensure the audience have a rollicking good time. And partially because Adam Levine is quite the looker, looks a filthy so and so and is a bit of a style icon. So add it all together and I am one smitten man kitten. Which typed out looks quite creepy so I'll brush past and sally forth. Here's what you get with the new album!
Overexposed:
Maroon 5 have always had the ability to infuse different musical influences into their albums - elements of pop, rock, funk, r'n'b and even boyband balladry have always been evident. And certainly there have been some big pop moments in their career - most recently in the form of third album lead off single Misery, and of course mammoth smash Moves Like Jagger. So teaming up with major pop empressario Max Martin to oversee their fourth album seemed like it would bring all those elements of their music into their most "pop" album to date. And luckily, it works - it's an absolute corker from start to finish. It kicks off with the sparkling second single from the album, One More Night which It's a stuttering, stacatto beat that uses a repetitive beat that mirrors the lyrical content of making repeated mistakes within the relationship. It's a breezy, bouncy, faux-reggae sound that is a solid album opener with added "ooo oo" backing ad-libs that enhance it's already considerable charm appeal. This of course leads into current smash, Payphone, which has one of the most insidious, all encompassing hooks since, well - Moves Like Jagger and is ultimately one of the most endearing pop tunes of the year (ironically alongside Carly Rae's Call Me Maybe).
Elsewhere, the boys tackle the current trend of anthemic, ibiza-esque rave (made popular by The Wanted and JLS) with the soaring Daylight. Given some dance remixes, this gives it a rockier edge rather than relying on the tribal beats that are now oh so common & it gives the song a more layered, textured feel. Lucky Strike takes the sound of Moves Like Jagger and early hit Harder To Breathe, merging them together to create an exhilarating tune that leaves you breathless. Man Who Never Lied is a percussive thumper with a driving instrumental that reminds you of how pivotal the rest of Maroon 5 are in creating and performing these songs. Ryan Tedder co-write Love Somebody provides one of the most majestic moments on the album with a chorus that just won't quit. This would sound immense performed as a group number on the UK X Factor shows...
Down and dirty funk saturated Lady Killer has some Jacko-inspired falsetto along with a blistering guitar solo; perhaps the best song of this ilk since Hall & Oates Maneater. And that middle 8 just makes you want to get down with your bad self. More dance floor mania emerges in the form of Doin' Dirt. It's a swirling disco epic that certainly puts chart before art, but when the hook is this amazing, the beat this seductive and the melody this intoxicating who the hell really cares. A late album surprise, but a very welcome one. And for those looking for the tender side of Maroon 5, you'll certainly find that in the stark, haunting Sad. Adam and a piano, armed with a stirring vocal and gorgeous melody, gives his most emotive vocal of the album. It's stunning work that makes you stop in your tracks. Delicious.
The Deluxe Bonus Tracks:
As is the "ilk" of record labels nowadays, there is a basic version of Overexposed and one with some extra tracks. This includes the addition of Moves Like Jagger (just in case as a Maroon 5 fan you were one of the very few who didn't actually already own it), a shimmering future anthem in the form of the ingratiating Wipe Your Eyes and the jazzy Wasted Years (a Songs About Jane outtake that finally gets it deserved time in the sun). The real treasure here is a cabaret live version of the Prince classic "Kiss". Utterly stunning.
Overall, the album is pop manna from heaven. Hooks bounce about giving wall to wall satisfaction from start to finish, yet never loses the sense that it is a Maroon 5 album at it's heart. Major.
Potential singles: Payphone / One More Night / Lucky Strike / Love Somebody / Sad-Doin'Dirt (AA side)
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