Top of the Pops
Maroon 5 return with It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, the follow-up to their hugely successful Songs About Jane. The sound may be similar, with lead singer Adam Levine’s distinctive vocals set to catchy, radio-friendly pop rhythms, but this time they’ve got a swagger. It makes sense: With their sound, their youth and Levine’s movie star looks they set hearts and sales afire with their debut and they’re enjoying the fame.Maroon 5 is a little more world-wise, and while many songs are about love they’re tinged with cynicism. Levine’s soulful falsetto belies an edge, but the feel is more naughty than dark as he sings, “Feels so good to be bad.” Confidence is in full bloom on the synth-heavy dance track “If I Never See Your Face Again,” a detached take on a doomed relationship: “You’re with another man / I wonder if he’s half / The lover that I am.”
The upbeat “Makes Me Wonder” is the type of song that’s nearly impossible not to sing along to. Never mind that it’s about losing hope, with Levine singing, “Give me something to believe in / because I don’t believe in you anymore.”
There are a few heart-on-their-sleeve songs like “Miss You, Love You” and “Nothing Lasts Forever,” which provide a good balance to the id that’s embraced on most of the CD. The spirit is much more earnest and the tone, nicer. “Better That We Break” is touching as Levine sings “I’m not fine / I’m in pain / It’s harder everyday.”
Maroon 5 deliver with It Won’t Be Soon Before Long. Their sound hasn’t changed much, with mostly danceable and highly enjoyable tracks, although there’s a little edge with Levine playing the bad boy and heartbreaker. He’s right: It feels good to be bad.