Maurice Williams
MC 301 Contributor
Many music groups have the passion, but not many are able to last long. Few like the Beatles, Aerosmith or even Green Day, have an ongoing impact to the music industry today.
Maroon 5 almost shared the same declining fate until they released “Over Exposed”, their fourth studio album in 2012.
According to digitalspy.com, lead singer Adam Levine stated that the popular singing contest and show
“The Voice”, revived the groups career. “We had a reintroduction to the world with the show.”
Through “The Voice” alone, “Overexposed” rose through the charts with the lead single “Moves like Jagger”, which also featured “Voice” alum, Christina Aguilera. Nearly two years later, Maroon 5 was back on the map and their following fifth album simply titled “V” cemented their ongoing legacy.
“This album was very innovative,” said Christopher Johnson, a senior music education major from Chicago, Ill. “Unlike their other albums, this one has a more pop feel to it, but retains the traditional rock they are known for.”
“V” starts off strong with Maroon 5’s current number one single, “Maps”. This song chronicles the search for love.
“All the roads you took came back to me” Levine sings as in the music video, he is frantically searching for the love of his life who is hidden in plain sight. “So I’m following the map that leads to you.”
The next hot single that continues down the album line is “Animals”. While this song helps boost their career, it was met with a bit of mixed feelings, especially among critics.
“I feel it could have avoided using controversial lines a bit,” said Bradley Saunders, a sophomore criminal justice major from Greenwood, Miss. The sophomore felt some lines referred to a sexual predator.
The song tells a story of someone having an attraction towards someone with unreturned feelings. What is the result of this? That is a person simply wanting to prey upon them like an “animal.” This song however firmly establishes a common trait among rock, which is creating controversial phrases and words and creating them into something far more brilliant.
Aside from ravaging sex and a night filled with regrets, “V” has more mentionable songs within the album. The next song pairs them up with punk-rock icon Gwen Stefani.
“My Heart is Open” is a song with dual meanings as the slightly romantic song chronicles the issues of being unsure if anyone has truly met the right one. One more no and I’ll believe you, Levine sings to Stefani. Deep down he wants for her to say yes to the possible chance of a relationship, but he will know for certain that it is not meant to be if her heart truly says no.
“In Your Pocket” is next on the list of favorites. This song explores the situation of an overly attached girlfriend who wants to make sure their boyfriend is not cheating on them. The catch however is that the boyfriend has no issue showing her his phone, but he knows she is cheating on him and will only do so until she shows him hers.
Another personal favorite is another romantic song, “Lost Stars”, finishes the album strongly. “Lost Stars” is a love song about finding meaning in the universe and finding someone to find that meaning with. As opposed to heavy rock and drums, the verses within the song are paired up with a guitar that perfectly lets Levine’s vocal range blend in with the rest of the band’s musical prowess.
Overall, “V” is a decent album. While there may be no true rough rock roots into the album, it balances it out perfectly with pop. Those that enjoy both genres would enjoy listening to the album in its entirety.
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