Since the release of their debut jazz-pop hybrid album "Songs About Jane," Maroon 5 has been in a consistently fluctuating identity crisis. Are they a soul-pop band with funk infusions? Are they a synth-pop formula machine generating replicated sound after sound?
The answer depends on who you talk to, but with their aptly named fifth effort "V," the band continues to tread the precarious balance between soul and synth.
Some songs are difficult to place in a specific category. The first single, "Maps," plucks back and forth between frontman Adam Levine’s falsetto-driven verses and a densely backed chorus, while "It Was Always You" almost drops the beat with its electronic-backed second verse.
"Animals" comes close to being a rhythm and blues track, with Levine’s vocals slinking back and forth between ranges easily, while "Unkiss Me" shows a slow grind of a verse building to a sighing chorus.
Seventies funk rears its ugly head a bit in "Sugar," which sounds part Bee Gees and part Bruno Mars. "Feelings" is almost there with its bouncing bass line, but it gets lost in its synthesized "whoomp whoomp" backing sound.
The album features a steady staff of writers and producers, including Fun.’s Nate Ruess co-penning the sweeping semi-ballad "Leaving California" and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder helping write and produce several tracks, including the more processed track "New Love."
Stadium-ready power ballad "My Heart Is Open," featuring Gwen Stefani, is one of the few standout tracks. Stefani’s surprisingly soulful tone — a departure from both the harsher sounds of No Doubt and the higher pitched "Hollaback Girl"-era vibes — blends well with Levine’s, making for a particularly lovely moment on the album.
And no wonder this track is a standout — it’s co-written by Sia, the songstress behind some of the most memorable Top 40 tracks of the past few years (see "Chandelier," Rihanna’s "Diamonds").
The deluxe version of the album also includes the softer "Lost Stars" from the "Begin Again" soundtrack, in which Levine played a folky musician whose rising stardom leaves Keira Knightley in its wake, and a cover of Marcy Playground’s "Sex and Candy."
The latter is a slow and sensual track akin to the early sounds of the band. Levine’s voice shines in this style of vocalization.
Sure, he can hit that falsetto time after time, but his lower register rumbles just right on this.
As a whole, the album is a mixture of genres and sounds with a lack of origin that typifies the general Maroon 5 sound as of late.
However, that mesh of music doesn’t always flow well together.
There are some moments that stand out, but overall, the album can’t find a consistent link between the genres.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/4/2014 under the headline "Maroon 5: ‘V’ treads between soul, synth"]
