I need to preface this with a few statements: First, I’ll say that I like Maroon 5, but I like them mostly for their work in 2005 with the hit CD “Songs About Jane”. They aren’t my favorite band, but “Sunday Morning” is one of my favorite songs ever. Keep this in mind while you’re reading.
Fast forward to 2010, do I hate on Maroon 5 for changing their sound? Where do they stand in the picture of today’s hot artists? I don’t know the answers to these questions. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect with this CD, and I still can’t totally figure it out. It opens, of course, with “Misery”. It’s a solid track if you get past the 50 “oh yeah” shouts from Adam. Then they dancing shoes stay on with “Give a Little More”, another ok groove that would’ve been unheard of from this band when they came out on the scene. “Stutter” is another track that I’m kind of indifferent about, it’s ok, but I’m not going crazy about it. The next few tracks don’t really stick out to me, until finally there is a memorable track. I can say that this song, “I Can’t Lie” is my favorite M5 track since the “Songs About Jane” days. Maybe I like Adam’s cool vocals with the word “feel” in the chorus, or the piano, or the cool breakdown part.
After that, the title track, “Hands All Over”, kicks off. It’s an ok groove song, but again nothing too crazy for me. Things get closer to the old “normal” for M5 with “How”, a good song. Just when you think you know where they are going, another groove kind of song is thrown in before a decent ballad called “Just a Feeling”. Another different song follows this, and the album ends with a totally out of place collaboration with Lady Antebellum.
Overall, this CD gives you a little of everything. You get the new Maroon 5, with shades of the Maroon 5 you knew 5 years ago, and a little dash of something else. You might not go crazy over these tracks, but at least there will always be a “Sunday Morning” around the corner.
-PK