Why We Love Them: Maroon 5

Say hello to a brand new feature: Why We Love Them! With a different act being explored each time, we remind ourselves what made us fall in love with some of music's biggest and most influential artists in the first place (with the occasional heartfelt dose of humble advice for the future)

A month ago, Maroon 5 fans worldwide took a moment to celebrate the release anniversary of the Grammy Award-winning single ‘This Love’, the second to be taken from their career-defining Songs About Jane. The funky Pop Rock number helped the fresh-faced LA quintet achieve their first top 5 hit on both sides of the pond and set the pace for what is now a career spanning over a decade.

Maroon 5’s confident mix of R’n’B, Rock, Soul and Pop made a bold impression held up against a pop landscape dominated by the likes of Usher, Beyoncé and OutKast (a glorious time when I could be justified in assuming that 'Harder to Breathe' was a Daniel Bedingfield song upon first hearing it on the radio). More commercial than Jamiroquai yet more Rock than Justin Timberlake’s solo debut of the time, Adam Levine’s distinctive voice led the band to multiplatinum status worldwide. However, as the dust settles from their latest Overexposed album campaign, many have noted that while the band have managed to maintain a level of popularity that many of their contemporaries have struggled to match (‘Moves Like Jagger’ is their biggest selling single thus far and Overexposed sold over two million copies worldwide, spawning four US top 10 singles), the band have made a marked turn away from their previous trademark sound towards a pop sensibility more akin to The Script or OneRepublic than Stevie Wonder and Prince, who they hailed as their early primary influences (it’s puzzling to think that the band who crafted ‘Sweetest Goodbye’ and ‘Wake Up Call’ could be happy with glossy disposable jingles like ‘Lucky Strike’).

*what a video*

The term “sell-out” is synonymous with a band breaking through to the mainstream and it is hard to find an act that has been lucky enough to avoid being labelled as such by their original fans as they find new popularity (Kings of Leon, Coldplay and Green Day want to know your secret, Arctic Monkeys). As such it is a phrase which has found itself neatly sandwiched between conversations involving Adam Levine’s new The Voice-fuelled celebrity, the group’s recent collaborations with pop guru Max Martin and their trade-off of synths over guitars on their last LP, following the disappointing sales of album number three, Hands All Over . Though the group have been relatively mum amidst the allegations, the reviews have been more than vocal about a band that were never renowned for being a critical darling, even in their early days.

However, longtime fans may have reason to save the swan song. Interviews with Adam Levine and James Valentine last year tentatively promised “darker” songs with stylistic similarities to their work on Songs About Jane, though proceedings are still in the early stages. In addition, for the many misfires on Overexposed, ‘One More Night’ was a Maroon 5/Max Martin marvel where the band managed to use their established formula and take it to new heights, both sonically and commercially (the single held the US number one spot for 9 weeks).

At this crossroads before the group’s fifth studio offering, loyalists can only hope that the band return to their full potential, which has so far shown itself to lie in a more organic approach that makes full use of Adam Levine’s voice - one of the most versatile in music today- and his knack for songwriting. As we take solace in the fact that their live shows continue to impress and draw sizeable crowds, we can tide ourselves over for the time being with some of their finest moments so far, as seen below.

Why we love them: Adam Levine’s voice; unique genre blending; impressive live shows

We love you, but: take it back to basics!