Music of the Week: Old Maroon Five

Maroon 5. Although their sound has changed since their debut in 2002, they've been pumping out sassy, guitar-y pop songs for all 11 years. Since recently I've been listening to strictly Arctic Monkeys (more on them later), I hit refresh with the quintet a few days ago. It's been at least a couple of years since I listened to them of my own free will, so I eased myself into it with a bunch of classics:

Most of the playlist is upbeat and good for jamming out; the last two are mellower. It includes songs from all of their albums except for the latest one, Overexposed. I personally am not so into it because it's missing that quintessentially Maroon 5 "carefree" vibe. I think it comes from the combination of the sassy guitar and vocals that support each other so well. Together, they make the song's beat strong and structured. At the same time, each song is laid-back and super fun and easy to sing along to. Each song is delivered with a certain spunk that's unique to M5. On the other hand, their Overexposed tunes are way more structured and lack that "effortless" factor their predecessors were hailed for. The lyrics were also so much better back in the day (compare "Makes Me Wonder" and "Love Somebody"). Then, they told a story. Now, they seem forced and overly repetitive.

Clearly, I feel that Maroon 5's latest hits are, well, overexposed, and that their first hits are still the best. Do you agree or disagree? Have any music-related stuff to tell me about? Share your thoughts in the comments or in an email to leatherandrouge@gmail.com.