As a die-hard Maroon 5 fan, I was ecstatic when I heard the words “new album” only a year after the last album V. Did I squeal and shed a tear of excitement? Maybe. But alas, I was let down by no new songs and only a compilation album of their mainstream songs that everyone knows already. Although this event occurred months ago, I’m still not over it. Nor do I ever think I will be.
This greatest hits album is almost a playlist of all of the Maroon 5 songs any casual fan would have on their iTunes, most of which we’ve all heard a million times on the radio. It kicks off with the classic ‘This Love’, which brings us all back to their ‘rockier’ and more alternative starting days from their debut album Songs About Jane. Hearing this makes us reminisce about when Adam Levine was just an awkward lead singer, slightly skinny, with abs not quite as chiselled as we now know them to be.
The next song brings us almost a decade in the future, with ‘Payphone’. One of my personal favourites, it has less audible live guitars, but makes up for it with the super catchy tune, relatable lyrics and mediocre rap by Wiz Khalifa (that I definitely do NOT know off-by-heart…). Hearing the first two songs one after the other, you can see how Maroon 5 lost some fans that preferred their earlier, rock-pop type music. Of course their true fans (me) will love them no matter what, but, not dissimilarly to Taylor Swift recently, it is possible that they maybe have lost sight of their musical roots to become more mainstream.
this album has sort of rubbed me up the wrong way
‘Moves Like Jagger’ featuring Christina Aguilera is the fifth single on this album, which must have been the most overplayed Maroon 5 song ever. Understandably though, it is truly an amazing song, with Aguilera’s sweet and sassy vocals as probably the best collaboration with Maroon 5 so far (sorry Wiz). Being too funky to not bop your head to, it was a turning point in the sound that Maroon 5 had created, and was the inspiration for their fourth studio album Overexposed, which lead guitarist James Valentine called their “most “pop” record ever”.
Finishing off this incredible track listing is Maroon 5’s latest big hit single. With over 800 million views on YouTube, it’s the song that everyone loves: ‘Sugar’. Although this is not my favourite song from V by a long stretch, it is probably one of the catchiest, (a close second to ‘Maps’ in my opinion). Being a super upbeat lovey-dovey tune, it was destined for huge record sales and popularity. This song also created some new fans for the band, and/or reminded lost fans why they loved them.
Singles is the perfect album for new Maroon 5 fans, or people who need to stock up on Maroon 5’s biggest hits on their iTunes. However, speaking as a fan that has been around for a lot longer, this album has sort of rubbed me up the wrong way. Of course the music is amazing, and I would have given five stars for the music alone, but they lost stars, as it seems like they are so desperate for sales that they keep re-selling songs they know people know. So, to Maroon 5, please stop hashing out all the overplayed singles and maybe put in some of the lesser-known ones. Or, next time you release an album, avoid disappointing fans, and please make sure it’s new music.