A deeper side to Maroon 5
Maroon 5 are on the edge of a winning streak, fresh from a win for best new band at the 2005 at the Grammy Awards in America, the TV Europe award for best new band and having been nominated for 3 Brits. This live cd was recorded at the Hit Factory in New York back on January 22, 2003. This band cranks out catchy hits like they can't help it, their album 'Songs About Jane' has been out for two years now and this live cd makes me question where they are heading in the future. With a solid voice like Adam Levine's there is no telling what direction this band will go in.
Stripped down hits such as "This Love" and "Harder To Breathe", don't seem to hold up as well acoustically as they do with a full band backing them, seemingly losing some of the oomph and energy that catapulted them to the top of the charts in the first place. However "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning" are easily ten times better acoustically, Adam Levine's voice conveys feeling really, really well and on songs as heartfelt as these, the emotion of these really comes out, the emotion that somehow seems to get lost when performed in full "pop" swing. There is something almost spooky about how different "The Sun" sounds stripped down, an acoustic guitar and a tinkle of a piano, it makes you pause and makes you really think about the lyrics, most of which tend to be overlooked in music of this genre, it makes me wonder whether Maroon 5 should explore this side of their band more, as there seems to be great hidden potential.
The cover of "If I Fell" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney is seemingly unexpected from a band like this, but they manage to carry the song very well, not taking it too seriously, and honestly doing it more than justice by putting their own respectful spin on the song. The last track is a surprise somewhat; it's a live track from Hamburg Germany on which singer Adam Levine plays the drums and drummer Ryan Dusick takes on the vocals to cover AC/DC's "Highway To Hell". His vocals are surprisingly strong and they just about pull this off without sounding like utter prats, but not quite, this isn't the kind of band Maroon 5 have advertised themselves as, they should've left this sort of track to the people who play this kind of music best. However much of a surprise this is, it's an unwelcome one, it doesn't fit with the rest of the cd's calm and dulcet feel, almost throwing the cd completely. It would probably have been best to have saved this for a B-side, a place where a true fan would've have appreciated it most.
It seemed like this CD was really opening doors unexplored for Maroon 5, it's an awful shame that the last track had to be so off kilter. Maroon 5 show a lot of potential to grow as a band, this mellow stripped down vibe suits them well. If you don't like the versions of these songs you hear on TV give these a listen you might change your mind, it may lead you to wonder what's up next for them and where they'll take their music next.