Maroon 5 - Overexposed (23/07/2012)
Overexposed, the fourth studio album from Maroon 5 certainly shows how the band, and more importantly Adam Levine, has changed since releasing their debut album, Songs About Jane, in 2002. The biggest difference is the shift from Maroon 5 performing as a whole, to this album as more of an Adam Levine solo with backing from the band.
The success of the single Moves Like Jagger, from the Hands All Over re-release, has dictated the band’s shift to the pop-driven, dance worthy tracks that make up the majority of the new album. And as a whole, Overexposed keeps the energy high and the tempo higher with only a few exceptions. However, they’ve sacrificed the strength of their compositions and the originality of their songs that their fanbase was built on, to create a mainstream but rather flat album.
The debut single, Payphone, builds off the success of Moves Like Jagger as their biggest single so far. Levine’s impressive vocals and catchy chorus, easily recognised by anyone keeping up with the charts, don’t quite live up to the success seen by the track and fails to create the emotionality of She Will Be Loved and Never Gonna Leave This Bed. Wiz Khalifa’s featured verse doesn’t fit with the rest of the song, and as one of his worst verses to date, does more to disrupt the flow of the track than anything else. The second single, One More Night’s light-reggae is an inspired track with a well-balanced tempo and overall feel. As the opening track, the reggae influences create the sense that Maroon 5 is trying their hand at more than just basic pop tunes, something that is continued across some of the later tracks.
The rest of the album continues with classic pop tunes that follow rather predictable patterns in terms of their composition, with a few unexpected moments sprinkled throughout them. As the third track, Lucky Strike shows the first real inclusion of the band’s sound with the guitar tracks almost as strong as their earlier albums. The song is one of the most high-tempo of the album, with the strength of the band backing creating a well-balanced pop-rock sound. Following on, The Man Who Never Lied, with one of the most memorable choruses of the album, has a strong Coldplay sound and plays as a radio-ready single waiting to be released.
Across most genres, an album isn’t complete without a piano ballad, and Overexposed is no different. Sad creates an emotional pause to the beat-driven, pop tracks of the album with Levine’s voice and the musical composition creating an impressive track. Unfortunately, the lyrics were unable to live up to the strength of the track, with a rather lacking “I’m so sad” not really carrying off the emotion needed to really make this song a stand out. Overexposed also closes on a slow tempo song, with Beautiful Goodbye doing exactly as the title says, and creating a memorable closing track to the album. As an acoustic pop-rock song, it plays like its come off one of their earlier albums, with bittersweet yet undeniably positive lyrics blending into the ease of the musical arrangement.
The deluxe version of the album features two new tracks Wipe Your Eyes and Wasted Years, as well as a cover of Prince’s Kiss, the previously released Moves Like Jagger and two remixes of Payphone. While these tracks are in no way necessary to finish off the album, they create an interesting mix of old and new pop styles and then two remixes perfect for any club playlist.
Bethany Williams
The success of the single Moves Like Jagger, from the Hands All Over re-release, has dictated the band’s shift to the pop-driven, dance worthy tracks that make up the majority of the new album. And as a whole, Overexposed keeps the energy high and the tempo higher with only a few exceptions. However, they’ve sacrificed the strength of their compositions and the originality of their songs that their fanbase was built on, to create a mainstream but rather flat album.
The debut single, Payphone, builds off the success of Moves Like Jagger as their biggest single so far. Levine’s impressive vocals and catchy chorus, easily recognised by anyone keeping up with the charts, don’t quite live up to the success seen by the track and fails to create the emotionality of She Will Be Loved and Never Gonna Leave This Bed. Wiz Khalifa’s featured verse doesn’t fit with the rest of the song, and as one of his worst verses to date, does more to disrupt the flow of the track than anything else. The second single, One More Night’s light-reggae is an inspired track with a well-balanced tempo and overall feel. As the opening track, the reggae influences create the sense that Maroon 5 is trying their hand at more than just basic pop tunes, something that is continued across some of the later tracks.
The rest of the album continues with classic pop tunes that follow rather predictable patterns in terms of their composition, with a few unexpected moments sprinkled throughout them. As the third track, Lucky Strike shows the first real inclusion of the band’s sound with the guitar tracks almost as strong as their earlier albums. The song is one of the most high-tempo of the album, with the strength of the band backing creating a well-balanced pop-rock sound. Following on, The Man Who Never Lied, with one of the most memorable choruses of the album, has a strong Coldplay sound and plays as a radio-ready single waiting to be released.
Across most genres, an album isn’t complete without a piano ballad, and Overexposed is no different. Sad creates an emotional pause to the beat-driven, pop tracks of the album with Levine’s voice and the musical composition creating an impressive track. Unfortunately, the lyrics were unable to live up to the strength of the track, with a rather lacking “I’m so sad” not really carrying off the emotion needed to really make this song a stand out. Overexposed also closes on a slow tempo song, with Beautiful Goodbye doing exactly as the title says, and creating a memorable closing track to the album. As an acoustic pop-rock song, it plays like its come off one of their earlier albums, with bittersweet yet undeniably positive lyrics blending into the ease of the musical arrangement.
The deluxe version of the album features two new tracks Wipe Your Eyes and Wasted Years, as well as a cover of Prince’s Kiss, the previously released Moves Like Jagger and two remixes of Payphone. While these tracks are in no way necessary to finish off the album, they create an interesting mix of old and new pop styles and then two remixes perfect for any club playlist.
Bethany Williams