Tuesday, May 22, 2007

It Wont Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5

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The only real relevance Maroon 5 have to me is that they inadvertently helped me to discover The Like when my mate Al saw them supporting the Maroon boys on tour (you'd never catch me dead at a Maroon 5 concert myself). Of course this led to the infamous incident in Oldham where we slagged off Maroon 5 in front of one of their girlfriends. I think we got away with it, but that maybe just because I'm too drunk to remember.

Anyway, I can kind of take or leave Maroon 5. A couple of catchy tunes aside I've no real time for them, but out of curiosity, and the fact I liked their latest single Makes Me Wonder I decided to give them a second chance. Right now I'm rather wishing I hadn't bothered.

It's not that this is a technically poor record or anything like that, indeed the band can play, just that it lacks any real heart or soul. In fact I'd totally agree with one reviewers assertion that the album, and the band as a whole, are pleasingly bland. It's difficult to hate them but a struggle to actually like them. And whilst I wouldn't deny that tracks like Makes Me Wonder, Can't Stop and Little Of Your Time can seem rather nice as you listen to them, within 10 minutes of putting the album back on the shelf it's as if they never existed.

Maroon 5 have gone for the chart stratosphere and there's probably enough in the way of radio-friendly hits to ensure more success. Just don't confuse commercial success with any sense of artistic merit.