North Texas Daily

My journey of coming across Maroon 5’s music is very different from those who grew up around the time I did. As someone who was born in the summer of 1996, grew up in the 2000s and was raised listening to Christian music, country music and other tunes my parents liked from the ’70s and ’80s, I didn’t hear much of their music on the radio. At least that’s how it was until the late 2000s. Because of this, I was never the type of person who would get mad if something from Maroon 5 wasn’t like “Songs About Jane” or “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.” The first song from the group I can remember hearing on the radio was “Makes Me Wonder,” which is an all-time best song from them, and I’ll hear no argument saying otherwise.

Because I was later than other fans to hop on the train, I’ve been more forgiving of the group. I never bought into the cliches other folks have used when reviewing them, like claiming they “sold out.” I don’t have a problem with Adam Levine as a vocalist and when folks claim they aren’t the band they used to be by referring to them as “The Adam Levine Experience,” I think they’re insane.

With that being said, I listened to Maroon 5’s latest album titled “Jordi” track-by-track to see what the group has for us this time.

“Beautiful Mistakes” featuring Megan Thee Stallion

The opening track on the album, Beautiful Mistakes does an excellent job serving as a strong start. On the song, Adam and Megan tell the story of a couple that’s no longer together but can’t forget about each other. While Adam’s character pretends he’s still with his ex-girlfriend and acts like things didn’t change, Megan’s character, the ex, calls him out on the lies he’s telling, why she left him and how she feels it was for the best. The song does an excellent job with its production, Adam’s vocals, the lyrics and Megan once again showing why she’s a boss who knows how to put down anyone who’s hurt her in the past. 5/5

“Lost”

The second track on the album, “Lost” is one I would best describe as decent. Lyrically, Adam discusses how, before he met his wife, he felt lost and like no one was there for him in his life, but when he met her, he felt his life improved immensely. It’s a fine concept for a song and executed passably. 3.5/5

“Echo” featuring Blackbear

On this track, Adam and Blackbear both discuss how their relationships ended and how it left holes in them metaphorically where their hearts used to be. Overall, the song’s decent and it serves its purpose fine enough. 3/5

“Lovesick”

This song was definitely one of the more forgettable tracks since, while it had nice production on it, Adam’s vocals are there and the lyrics sound like they were written by a teenager. 3/5

“Remedy” featuring Stevie Nicks

Ugh, this song is just so boring. I could forgive this song more if that was its only crime, but no, it had to make things worse by bringing Stevie Nicks on board. Seriously, what is she doing on here? I like her as a vocalist (on her own and in Fleetwood Mac), but how do you take one of the most iconic and influential female vocalist and give her practically nothing to do? When I first heard this song, I thought Stevie’s vocals were either Miley Cyrus or a background singer until I found out otherwise. Miranda Lambert and/or the Pistol Annies were used better on “Boys Round Here” and “Drowns the Whiskey.” I haven’t seen a female vocalist used so poorly by a performer. Long story short, this song is a bunch of nothing that has little to no value to it. 2/5

“Seasons”

It’s the newest rapper to make his mark in the industry. Give it up for MC Levine and those bars he’s spitting on the chorus. All jokes, even though some of Levine’s lyrics have that “How do you do, fellow kids?” energy to them and make him sound like a parent trying too hard to see relatable those younger than him (which I would normally wince at). However, I do still enjoy the song and can see myself coming back to it whenever replaying this album. 4/5

“One Light” featuring Bantu

The song’s one of the better ones so far on the album with Adam’s vocals sounding nice, the solid production and Bantu does a decent job on here. 3.5/5

“Convince Me Otherwise” featuring H.E.R.

While I’m not too sure what the song’s about because I was too distracted by the vocal harmonies from Adam and H.E.R., I enjoyed this song and am glad I got a chance to check it out. 5/5

“Nobody’s Love”

While not the best song on the album, this is another one I really enjoyed. 4.5/5

“Can’t Leave You Alone” featuring Juice Wrld

When I was looking through the featured guests on this album and saw Juice Wrld’s name, I was excited and was looking forward to this one and it didn’t disappoint. The production’s solid, Adam and Juice both sound excellent and the lyrics are well written. 4.5/5

“Memories”

While this song’s gotten some flack from other folks, I could not care less. I can admit it’s not the best song on the album, but it does have a nice intention behind it since this song is for those who’ve lost a loved one and reflecting on good times with them. This especially makes sense since Maroon 5’s manager and Adam Levine’s friend, Jordan Feldstein, died tragically years ago. 3.5/5

“Memories” remix featuring Nipsey Hussle and YG

My thoughts on the remix are the same as the regular version of the song, and Nipsey and YG provide some passable verses on this edition. 3.5/5

“Button” featuring Anuel AA and Tainy

While I’m not too sure what this song’s about, it definitely sounds nice with its production, as well as the contributions Adam Levine, Anuel AA and Tainy provide on here. 3.5/5

“Lifestyle” featuring Jason Derulo

As the last track of the album, I enjoyed this one a lot. Combining two vocalists I’ve enjoyed for a while, Adam and Jason both go over how they’re glad to be with the girls in their lives and wondering if they didn’t have their fame or wealth if their women would still love them. 4.5/5

Overall, while this album likely has its detractors, I know for sure I’ll likely enjoy hearing it again and again from time to time. I’ve enjoyed Maroon 5 and its music for a while, and I know I’ll enjoy them for years to come. I hope they continue making music for folks to enjoy no matter what their detractors may think or say.

Final rating: 4.5/5

Courtesy Interscope Records