"Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane"

Maroon 5 isn't normally the sort of band I'd listen to. It's even less the sort of band I'd expect my brother Clif to listen to. But it's what he wanted for Christmas, so I obliged him and purchased the CD.

These guys are pretty good, I must admit. Musically, they've got a nice white-boy funk groove thing going, with some excellent guitar work. There's a sort of Barry White bass and drums groove that underlies each song on the album, providing the funky blue-eyed soul foundation for the record.

Musically, the album works pretty well, then. The songs sort of start to blend together towards the latter half of the record, when the similar nature of the groove starts to blur one song into the next. But there are a few highlights--the opener, "Harder to Breathe," and the second tune on the record, "This Love," are the strongest tracks here, and frontloading the album with them probably creates unrealistic expectations for the rest of the songs. But such is life.

Where the album seems to fall apart for me is lyrically. This is, for the most part, an exceptionally raunchy album. The Barry White comparison works on multiple levels--these songs not only have that same bedroom groove, but a similar bedroom lyrical theme. The lyrics generally deal with how much the guy wants the girl (or, since the singer seems just the slightest bit narcissistic, how much he knows she wants him), and all the dirty, dirty details of their sordid lust-filled nights. If you don't pay much attention to the words, this isn't too much of a problem, since the vocalist is more concerned with creating a mood than with making a profound statement. The vocals emphasize the sound of the vocals rather than what is actually said, and that works in a way. But for someone like me, who puts so much stock in lyrics, it's a bit of an issue.

All in all, Songs About Jane is an okay album, filled with interesting moments and a few enjoyable songs, but after the record's done spinning, it really doesn't leave much of an impact.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Maroon 5, "This Love"