Maroon 5 – Songs About Jane

Best Melodic Rock Album

The following was originally published in our Music From The Underground section. 

review by antiGUY
Somewhere along the same time period that Disco came along and then mutated into what is considered modern day R&B, people forgot all about the amazing results of taking rock and giving it the funk and R&B treatment. It was this kind of mix that put Stevie Wonder on the map and it’s just as compelling today as it was when Stevie did his rendition of the late great Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby classic “Finger Tips Part I & II”. But don’t look to the mainstream R&B scene for it, you’ll only find watered down Disco there. Fortunately, there are bands and labels that still believe this form of music is viable commercially; Maroon 5 and their label Octone are among them. 

To be honest, I was shocked when I saw a photo of the group after hearing the CD. They look like they would sound like Matchbox Twenty not the band that produced what may be one of the best true R&B records to hit the streets in years. Yeah, it’s surprising that a bunch of white boys could bring the funk like this, but they do it well! Not since Steve Winwood’s Traffic days has a white vocalist so elegantly produced genuinely soulful vocals. 

While the entire CD is strong the two-standout tracks are the first single “Harder To Breathe” and the heartfelt ballad, “She Will Be Loved”. “Harder to Breath” is probably their “rockiest” tune but it’s definitely funky. “She Will Be Loved” is steeped in soul but still has a crossover modern rock appeal as well. 

It’s ironic that it took a white group to remind us what made R&B such a magical music form until it was taken over by the major labels and bastardized by Disco. Maroon 5 is a definite breath of fresh air and a band that should be commended for bringing back a lost music form and showing us that music today can still have “soul” and be commercially appealing. The bottom line is “Songs About Jane” is an exception debut from an exceptional band! You definitely don’t want to miss this one! 
 
 

Maroon 5 – Songs About Jane
Label: Octone
Rating: 
 

Tracks: Harder to Breathe  This Love  Shiver  She Will Be Loved  Tangled  Sun  Must Get Out  Sunday Morning  Secret  Through With You  Not Coming Home  Sweetest Goodbye

Purchase this CD online     Visit the official  website to hear samples

Fan Speak:

Posted by christy:
this band rocks, i can't get enough of there songs this love, and harder to breathe, and she will be loved, i think they should be number one on the music charts!! keep it up maroon 5, i love ya!!