Maroon 5’s decision to move into Electro pop has produced an enjoyable, engaging album full of standout songs that could all very easily be smash hits.
Overexposed is the fourth studio album from Maroon 5 and follows the new musical direction indicated by ‘Moves Like Jagger’ released earlier this year. The bands decision to move from soulful indie tracks to electro pop has produced a varied and exciting album, with a range of different sounds. Over the years as Maroon 5 have developed, lead singer Adam Levine seems to have gone from strength to strength vocally, with his voice on this album at his strongest. His distinctive falsetto rises to the fore in Overexposed filling meaningful lyrics with soul and emotion.
While the lead single for this album ‘Payphone’ is enjoyable and engaging, the standout song on the album for me is ‘The Man Who Never Lied.’ In my first listen of the track I was struck by this song even in its opening strains, and my love of it was cemented by its lyrics, telling of the complications of truth and falsity in a relationship: “Sometimes honesty is the worst policy” and “I was the man who never lied, never lied till today, I just could not break your heart.”
Other songs which standout for me include the first track ‘One More Night’ which includes an engaging staccato beat infused in both the melody and the vocals. ‘Lucky Strike’ and ‘Love Somebody’ are both very memorable, with interesting combinations of melody, vocals and lyrics. ‘Sad’ is hints back to the bands musical origins as a soulful ballad, which is a nice addition to the album to link back to where the band has been, in an album signalling where the band are going.
The only downfall of this album? The lack of additional tracks on the deluxe edition was incredibly disappointing, considering the extra cost. The version available from iTunes merely includes 3 remixes of ‘Payphone’, a remix of ‘Only One Night’ and a copy of ‘Moves Like Jagger,’ which was disappointing for someone who already has this track from the deluxe edition of Hands All Over. I wish that the extra tracks which were included in the CD version of the record had been included instead of these remixes, which I didn’t find worth the extra charge.
An exciting album, I would just advise buying the standard edition on iTunes!
9/10
