Along with The Killers, Maroon 5 are my favorite group of all time. The reason for that huge compliment is thanks to their debut release, Songs About Jane, a nearly perfect album from 2004 that only featured one song I did not like. Eight years later, the Adam Levine fronted band have just released their fourth studio album, Overexposed, after finding tremendous success with the pop-sounding “Moves Like Jagger” featuring Christina Aguilera. The album is a great departure from their previous efforts, experimenting with more of a pop sound than before. Preceded by two great singles, “Payphone” featuring Wiz Khalifa and “One More Night”, the album contains amazing vocals, but will surely receive split reception from critics.
The album opens with its current single, “One More Night”, which contains a reggae/pop sound I have not really heard on the radio before. The hook for the song has Levine throwing out some hypnotizing “whoos” that I cannot get out of my head. The track describes a relationship that may not seem too good for either party involved, but it continues on anyway. Listen for the perfect chorus.
Single after single play as “Payphone” makes its way through the speakers. The Wiz Khalifa-assisted track may have been a shock for many, but fans could not keep away from this change of sound from the band. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and has stayed in the top three ever since. With or without Khalifa, the song is still a decent piece of pop gold.
Things continue down a familiar path with “Daylight”. Levine’s sultry vocals are played across a mid-tempo beat with lyrics describing a love for only one night. The verses are good, the keep the song moving, but the chorus is the highlight once again. I feel that the song has single potential and fit in perfectly with the story the album has created so far. It really is a good effort.
If you were looking for a song on this album reminiscent to the band’s earlier work then “Lucky Strike” is your song. The track goes a little harder than the tracks that preceded it and really embodies the essence of pop/rock. The track shows that Maroon 5 is an actually band and not just Levine’s side project. The song is one of the album’s highlight and will surely please anyone.
“The Man Who Never Lied” shows Levine switching roles with the one he loves. Instead of doing the heart breaking, he is having his heart broken. “I just couldn’t break your heart, like you did mine yesterday” is a simple line sung with so much emotion, it just stays with you even when the song ends. The track showcases vulnerability and talent. Another great addition to the record.
The Ryan Tedder produced “Love Somebody” shoots off into the skies with its light and airy chorus and pop influences. The song is slow in its verses then picks up with an explosive chorus. While the track is good, good is not enough. Stuck in the middle, the song may not get the exposure it deserves. It loses some of its punch when compared to other cuts, fading to the background.
Critics are calling it an unexpected pleasant surprise, but I cannot seem to enjoy “Ladykiller” too much. Right out the gate, it distances itself from the rest of the track list by containing more than just a generic pop sound, but it is lyrically bland and boring. Some lines made me cringe, but the guitar solos towards the end and Levine’s vocals made up for the small mistakes. Not the best.
The intro to “Fortune Teller” comes off young and innocent as Levine sings that he cannot tell the future when it comes to his relationships. Again, the song has some lyrically mishaps, but it is a much stronger effort than the preceding track. The song may be simple, but for some reason I like it a lot. It still contains a pop-heavy sound, but feels like one of their older creations.
The album’s only true ballad comes in the form of “Sad”, a song that has the group reminiscing on their past relationships, seeing if they did everything right. Levine sings “still looking at the road we never drove on, wondering if the one I chose was the right one” as he second guesses some of his past choices. The song is slow, heartfelt, and shows the band’s full potential.
“Tickets” is an interesting piece and may be the album’s biggest gamble, experimentation wise. Maroon 5 is clearly out of their comfort zone as dub-step, techno influences come flooding out of the door. The song seems to be taking a stab at high-profiled females that Levine only wants to help get off, maybe a Christina Aguilera reference? Good song, but the “la la la’s” are too damn annoying.
If Maroon 5 made any song specifically for the clubs then the disco fever, high-energy “Doin’ Dirt” is that song. The track is nearly perfect and extremely catchy. I was a little nervous when the group said the album would feature a strong pop sound, but if they keep crafting loud tracks like this, I don’t mind the change. The song is fun, funky and dirty, makes you want to dance.
The album closes with “Beautiful Goodbye”. The song sheds the club-friendly, pop sound of the rest of the track list to focus on lyrics and vocal with a raw, acoustic vibe. The track is nice and sweet, well I would say bittersweet. The subject matter may be a little sad, “you’re even perfect when you cry”, but Levine’s vocals allows the piece to seem uplifting. Good, but not the best closing track.
Overexposed is an album that will surely cause many of Maroon 5’s earliest fans to leave them for trying to go mainstream, but it will garner them a new audience that likes their new pop sound. It has divided critics and for good reason. Is this album better than their debut? No. Is it better than their sophomore effort? No. But the band has crafted an album that features a whole new sound and it works in many ways. The hooks, the choruses, the vocals, the instrumentals all work nicely with top notch pop/dance production. The album is good; I wouldn’t call it their best. As a fan since the very beginning, this album receives an 84%.
Tracks to Hear: “One More Night”, “Lucky Strike”, “Fortune Teller” and “Doin’ Dirt”
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