Maroon 5

May 29, 2018 at PDT

Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B) - Single

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September 19, 2019 at PDT

Memories - Single

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June 24, 2002 at PDT

Songs About Jane

Brimming with attitude and eager to impress, Songs About Jane is a debut album that displays zero lack of confidence. Then again, Maroon 5 had plenty of time to get ready for this moment. Four of its five original members—singer and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bassist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick—had already weathered an earlier life as Kara’s Flowers, the band they originally formed while still in high school in Los Angeles. After an unsuccessful major-label album and a hiatus for studies at college, the four reconvened, added guitarist James Valentine and—after a long sojourn in New York, where Levine soaked up hip-hop culture and nursed a major but valuable heartache—reinvented themselves as Maroon 5.
In place of the Britpop and punk-pop leanings of Kara’s Flowers came the R&B bravado and funk-influenced rock that make Songs About Jane as arresting as it is immediately appealing. The first and most aggressive of the album’s hits, “Harder To Breathe” introduced the flair for high drama that would serve Levine very well in the years to come. Nor is this the last time his songwriting would vividly portray the to-and-fro of a toxic romance (“want to stay but you know very well I want you gone”), though, in the future, he’d shy away from expressing the kind of raw anger and hurt that’s so evident in “Shiver” and “Not Coming Home.” Not even the irrepressible exuberance of “This Love”—which became the breakout hit that the band had been gunning for since its days at Brentwood High—can entirely disguise the emotional turbulence at the core of Levine’s songs.
Just as surprising is the softness that exists within it, too. With Levine’s tenor floating on a groove that manages to be both insistent and featherlight, “She Will Be Loved” sees Maroon 5 balance the cocksure attitude of so much of Songs About Jane with a sense of yearning, one that suggests his Lothario pose may really be just a useful disguise.

12 Tracks

January 5, 2017 at PST

Don't Wanna Know (feat. Kendrick Lamar) [BRAVVO Remix] - Single

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February 13, 2017 at PST

Cold (feat. Future) - Single

Maroon 5 finds itself back in heartbreak territory with “Cold,” a wistful pop ballad about two people growing apart. But dancehall drums and a lively verse from Future keep things from getting too gloomy (“I just spent half a mil on a chandelier/Now you tryin’ to cut me off like a light switch”). Frontman Adam Levine told Zane Lowe that the Atlanta superstar topped his list of dream collaborators: “You know his voice immediately; he’s so creative, he can do anything. He’s almost from another dimension.”

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May 29, 2018 at PDT

Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B) - Single

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January 25, 2018 at PST

Wait (feat. A Boogie wit da Hoodie) - Single

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August 29, 2017 at PDT

What Lovers Do (feat. SZA) - Single

Sunny, breezy, flirty. The perfect summer send-off.

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July 23, 2020 at PDT

Nobody's Love - Single

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June 19, 2012 at PDT

Overexposed (Deluxe Version)

As brash as it is, the title of Maroon 5’s fourth album is perfect for a band that sounds like it knows exactly what it’s out to achieve. After 2010’s Hands All Over met a relatively modest reception, the Californian pop-rock act reversed its trajectory with the help of two decisive shifts in strategy. One was Levine’s decision to try his luck as a TV-competition show judge on The Voice with persuasive results. The other was enlisting songwriters outside the band for the first time—in this case, benny blanco, Ammar Malik, and Shellback for 2011's “Moves Like Jagger.” The song demonstrated the tactic’s wisdom by becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Like that smash hit, the songs on Overexposed demonstrates the band's drive to have their music blasting out of car stereos, beach clubs and spin studios all over the planet. To accomplish this task, the band adds the likes of Ryan Tedder and Robopop to its roster of top-flight hitmakers. Of course, the most formidable ringer is Max Martin; besides serving as the album’s executive producer, Sweden’s king of pop adds high polish and maximum propulsion to contributions such as “One More Night” and “Daylight.” Although Rihanna’s not among the album’s many special guests, Levine cites her as another big influence on the songs here, a fact made clear by the anthemic fusion of electro-pop and sleek, R&B-infused dance music on “Payphone” and “Love Somebody,” which became two of the four Top 10 singles on Overexposed.
While the band sounds fully engaged with all the new elements that its collaborators bring to the table, there’s still room for the flirty soul pop and strutting funk rock that defined Maroon 5’s sound in the decade before “Moves Like Jagger.” One of four co-writes by lead guitarist James Valentine, “Ladykiller” is a throwback to summer-ready early favorites like “Sunday Morning,” and “Tickets” gives Levine a further opportunity to get his Prince on. Likewise, with its loping rhythm and Levine’s warm, soulful vocals, “Beautiful Goodbye” proves Maroon 5 can sometimes assume an easygoing pace during its quest to be everywhere all at once.

16 Tracks

August 28, 2014 at PDT

V (Deluxe)

15 Tracks

May 21, 2007 at PDT

It Won't Be Soon Before Long

Though it took them five years to do it, Maroon 5 more than fulfilled expectations with their sophomore album, 2007's It Won’t Be Soon Before Long. Frontman Adam Levine and his cohorts concentrated on getting the essentials right by delivering expertly crafted songs buffed to an ear-catching sheen by such production notables as Spike Stent, Mike Elizondo, and Eric Valentine. Tracks like “If I Never See Your Face Again,” "Little of Your Time,” and “Kiwi” combine insistent catchiness with a cocky attitude that retains a boyish charm. The band skew toward elegant R&B on “Nothing Lasts Forever,” fuse rock and funk on “Can’t Stop,” and offer bittersweet acoustic balladry with “Better That We Break.”

13 Tracks

November 2, 2017 at PDT

Red Pill Blues (Deluxe)

Growing up is hard to do, but Maroon 5 heed adulthood’s call on their sixth album. Sort of. The wildly successful pop-rock band still focus on songs about love and longing, but their vantage point has started to shift. Vocalist Adam Levine sounds tired of endless games on the songs “What Lovers Do,” “Plastic Rose,” and “Don’t Wanna Know,” but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to throw away every good time (“Girls Like You”). Levine and crew bolster their cadence-driven style with moodier, synth-heavy moments and dancehall tempos. Thanks to co-signs from SZA, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and more, the result moves the band closer to Drake, the Weeknd, and even Major Lazer’s territory.

16 Tracks

September 1, 2014 at PDT

V (Deluxe)

Along with Adam Levine’s high-profile run as a coach on The Voice, Maroon 5’s canny collaborations with some of the era’s preeminent hitmakers had turned 2012’s Overexposed into a career-defining blockbuster. Yet keeping up that kind of momentum is a challenging task for any act, and few fans would’ve begrudged the Californian band if it followed up with 11 more songs that move just like “Moves Like Jagger.”
Thankfully, Maroon 5 had different ambitions in mind for V. The band’s fifth album sees it explore new directions while also taking the chance to re-embrace the fundamentals that helped get it this far up the mountain. One of those foundational pieces is keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, whose history with the band stretches all the way back to the high school days in L.A. when he and Levine co-founded Maroon 5’s predecessor, Kara’s Flowers. After sitting out Overexposed—touring keyboardist P.J. Morton was promoted to full member in his absence—Carmichael is back and it’s no accident that tracks like “It Was Always You” and “Coming Back For You” mark a return to the group’s impeccably polished brand of R&B-infused pop and rock.
Although the album features a formidable array of outside producers—including Overexposed vets such as Max Martin, Shellback, and Ryan Tedder as well as new collaborators like Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Ammo, and Cirkut—Carmichael’s contributions also bolster the impression that Maroon 5 remains a band first and foremost and not just the Adam Levine show. Even in its bolder forays into electro-pop and anthemic power balladry, the band’s identity is unmistakable, which is only fitting since it’s also Maroon 5’s first release for 222, its newly established imprint on Interscope.
That’s not to suggest the singer’s showman instincts are any less potent. Indeed, Levine clearly relishes the carnal edge he gives to “Animals” along with the flirtier vibe of “Sugar.” A duet with Gwen Stefani that was co-written with Sia, “My Heart Is Open” gives him a chance to display the vulnerability that’s always been another of those fundamentals.

15 Tracks

September 1, 2014 at PDT

V

12 Tracks

September 14, 2010 at PDT

Hands All Over (Deluxe Edition)

19 Tracks

June 10, 2021 at PDT

JORDI (Deluxe Edition)

14 Tracks

June 25, 2012 at PDT

Overexposed

Maroon 5 is a pop-rock band and proud of it. Here they embrace pop-rock’s versatility, collaborating with artists from a broad spectrum of sounds. Pittsburgh’s hometown hero Wiz Khalifa raps about envious scrubs who hate on his success—a stark contrast to Adam Levine’s romantic take on the idea of ringing up the object of his desire on “Payphone.” Maroon 5 also joins forces with Max Martin, Benny Blanco, and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.

12 Tracks

November 2, 2017 at PDT

Red Pill Blues (Deluxe)

Growing up is hard to do, but Maroon 5 heed adulthood’s call on their sixth album. Sort of. The wildly successful pop-rock band still focus on songs about love and longing, but their vantage point has started to shift. Vocalist Adam Levine sounds tired of endless games on the songs “What Lovers Do,” “Plastic Rose,” and “Don’t Wanna Know,” but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to throw away every good time (“Girls Like You”). Levine and crew bolster their cadence-driven style with moodier, synth-heavy moments and dancehall tempos. Thanks to co-signs from SZA, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and more, the result moves the band closer to Drake, the Weeknd, and even Major Lazer’s territory.

16 Tracks

September 20, 2010 at PDT

Hands All Over

Maroon 5’s third studio album plays with a much tighter groove than their preceding albums. With a stronger approach to their take on blue-eyed-soul, most of the songs comprising Hands All Over are danceable party hits. “Misery” opens with airtight rhythms rolling underneath contagiously catchy melodies. Even the fat rhythm of “Give a Little More” bounces under stripped-down elements keeping the tune tight and lean. Singer Adam Levine’s performances are tasteful and taut throughout. Exercising more restraint than on past recordings, he lets the melodies and rhythms drive these songs. Check out “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” where at any moment he could succumb to the kind of vocal gymnastics Steve Perry brought to Journey — but he keeps his cool and lets the song work its own magic on the listener. This is not to say that Hands All Over is without its pizzazz. Standout jam “Moves Like Jagger” pays homage to the stage presence of the Rolling Stones’ frontman with glimmering flourishes flying from an irresistible four-on-the-floor beat as Christina Aguilera trims the tune with plenty of diva flash.

14 Tracks

June 24, 2002 at PDT

Songs About Jane: 10th Anniversary Edition

29 Tracks

May 18, 2023 at PDT

Middle Ground - Single

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June 10, 2021 at PDT

JORDI (Deluxe)

14 Tracks

November 2, 2017 at PDT

Red Pill Blues

Growing up is hard to do, but Maroon 5 heed adulthood’s call on their sixth album. Sort of. The wildly successful pop-rock band still focus on songs about love and longing, but their vantage point has started to shift. Vocalist Adam Levine sounds tired of endless games on the songs “What Lovers Do,” “Plastic Rose,” and “Don’t Wanna Know,” but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to throw away every good time (“Girls Like You”). Levine and crew bolster their cadence-driven style with moodier, synth-heavy moments and dancehall tempos. Thanks to co-signs from SZA, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and more, the result moves the band closer to Drake, the Weeknd, and even Major Lazer’s territory.

11 Tracks