Customer Reviews

Hands All Over

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When I remember I had the chance to see these guys play a bar. A bar! They closed for Jason Mraz. My only consolation is that I was 16 and was, obviously, not the driver for the night, so it was somebody else's bad decision to go home. A driver's license is a great thing.

"Hands all Over" is wall to wall muscular rocky pop with thoughtful lyrics and groovy melodies that go down easier than lemonade on a sticky summer afternoon.

The moody lead single "Misery," with its lyrics and melody in wedded bliss, enters the head and simply will not leave. It is far from the only such track on the CD.

"Give a Little More" sparkles and shimmers with Adam Levine's smooth, soulful crooning (including vocal flourishes that bring Michael Jackson to mind) and frenetic, dance floor-ready energy, while the yearning ballad "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" is likely to burn up both radio playlists and the hearts of (mostly female) listeners.

"I Can't Lie" is immaculately arranged and produced with a pop-savvy fusion of doo-wop and indie rock flavorings, while the title track is an intriguing lesson in contrast - icy in texture and arrangement, with hard guitars and pronounced drums, but stark and vulnerable in its lyrics. "Out of Goodbyes" with Lady Antebellum is a saddening slow-burn.

"Runaway" pulses and seethes under the weight of its nervous energy as Levine sings of the pain of being deserted by his love without an explanation ("But I can't tell you if you run away, runaway"), and the forceful, idiosyncratic, downright infectious "Get Back in My Life" would sound particularly well among the tunes on 2002's "Songs About Jane."

There are so many strong moments here that it is difficult to pinpoint particular highlights. This is not the kind of album to spin before bedtime. One of these catchy melodies is bound to induce insomnia.

The deluxe edition extra tracks are worthwhile. "Last Chance" is a slow-burning rumination on tactile pleasures - it would have made an excellent B-side in the days of CD singles. The slightly overproduced but remarkably impassioned "No Curtain Call" is just as strong.

The acoustic renditions are so breathy, organic and well-wrought (especially "Never Gonna Leave This Bed") that a whole disc of these would have been welcome, and their live recording of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" pays the R&B songstress a great compliment with its sincere, soul-searching approach that emphasizes the poetic brilliance of her lyrics.

Against all odds in 2010, Maroon 5 are a perfectly solid group of musicians who can hit the Top 40 and fill major concert halls without selling out. "Hands all Over" was clearly labored over, and it is worth your time and money.

One month. Two favorite bands. Two new, long-awaited albums. One kicks ass, one sadly disappoints. If you'd told me Kings of Leon and Maroon 5, I'd have bet that KOL was the winner. Wrong-o. My wife, myself, and our two daughters agree on little when it comes to music, but all 4 of us can't stop playing Hands All Over. Even the dog perks up when Misery comes on.

Serious stuff? Nah. Polished, fun, danceable? Big time. Best party album since The Ting Tings. It's even stopped certain family members from playing Lady Gaga all day. If for no other reason, I'd give this 5 stars.

Mutt Lange has a knack for making it all sound effortless. He knows the formula and can turn out tunes with that "fresh from the farm" feel. This is a good and bad thing. For years he spent glossing up the hits for Shania Twain but you don't have to look far into the Twain cataloge to see that the content is about as deep as a puddle.
"Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" "Don't Be Stupid, You Know I Love You!"
Not exactly profound word play. But the man is a radio friendly hit-machine with those not searching too deep for quality.
But, I digress. Lange didn't write the songs on Hands All Over but he might as well have. With the exception of a few tunes, everything has been done before and done better. HAO is really all over the place. The lack of any cohesion isn't the problem, though nothing fits together. The downside for me was the overwhelming corniness.

"Misery" has a catchy hook, perfectly crafted for radio but something screams "This Love 2010". I like it for what it is - radio friendly.

"Get Back In My Life" is Squeeze-revisited. Squeeze circa 1985. Bouncy, lively and only missing the cheeky delivery of Glenn Tilford.

"Out Of Goodbyes", featuring Lady Antebellum, starts out like a weeper and ends in a wimper. What should be a harmonious blending of vocals turns monotone fast.

"Hands All Over" tries really hard to be an anthem. The lyrics are really cheesy and, diehards might not agree, it lacks any sex appeal M5 fans come to expect. With a title like that, I sort of expected the signature "obscure dirty".
This isn't a hand on a thigh. It's a pat on the head.

"Last Chance"...seriously? The lyrics are just oh-so-bad.
"I bet that he could give your everything/Stability and diamonds rings/All the things I do not have/I know you can't handle that."

"I Can't Lie" is growing on me but it sounds dated. I've heard this before, much like "Get Back In My Life". Only this time, it's more Motown then Brit pop. I could hear Smokey Robinson singing this. In 1965.

"Never Gonna Leave This Bed" could've been recorded by Journey. Of course, it would've been a little faster and far more passionate.

"Stutter" sounds like a novelty tune in the same vein as "Stacy's Mom" by Bowling For Soup. I expect a video of all the boys, leaning on a wall, snapping their finger in unison while wearing Ray Bans and leg warmers.

"Give A Little More" is perhaps the best song on the album. Adam Levine's voice is flawless. This is HAO's "Makes Me Wonder". A little funky, a little sexy and alot catchy.

"No Curtain Call" (available on the deluxe edition) is my second favorite song on the album. No sure why this wasn't part of the original 12 tunes selected because it should be. It's far more captivating than alot of the songs that made the original cut.

The acoustic verison of "Misery" (available on the deluxe edition) is a huge letdown. This is where Lange's production comes in. Acoustic usually feels a little more free-form, a little edgier. This acoustic tale doesn't feel acoustic at all; like it's not instruments but a generic digital recording. A music bed you would hear in a commercial for Pringles.

Lastly, the cover of Alicia Keys "If I Ain't Got You" is lovely and safe. Levine's voice is in fine form. It's a straight forward cover. No special M5 infused flavor. I'm not a Keys fan, so I have to say M5's cover is far superior to her yelling/singing.

All and all...a bit of a letdown. There are a few sparkling gems but missing is that signature M5 smirk. Like your privy to the inside joke. With "Songs About Jane" and "It Won't Be Soon Before Long", I felt like we got into the mind of the band and for 45-50 minutes, hung out. HAO is all formula with little payoff.

3 stars for Adam Levine's voice and the few tunes that deliver the happy ending.

In 2010, Maroon 5 released their third album of infectious pop rock, "Hands All Over". Joining them on this new album is legendary producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who is best known for his works with AC/DC, Foreigner, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams and country singer Shania Twain. This time around, Lange focused more on the songwriting aspect of Maroon 5, which has improved a little over the years. The album starts off with the first single "Misery" and leads into the funky "Give A Little More". They go for a 60's sound with the songs "Don't Know Nothing" and the Marvin Gaye influenced soul pop of "I Can't Lie", while on the piano-driven ballad "Just A Feeling" where lead singer Adam Levine laments over a recent breakup. They close the album with a duet with country music trio Lady Antebellum on the ballad "Out Of Goodbyes".

For the duration of the album, it's still a Maroon 5 record. Being that the notoriously heavy-handed Mutt Lange is behind the boards, there are significant traces of his sound on the album. Those traces are noticeably evident on the songs "Stutter", "Never Gonna Leave This Bed", and the title track "Hands All Over" which sounds conspicuously like Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me"- a song that Lange is best known for. Overall, they haven't strayed far from their pop roots, but they haven't done anything groundbreaking either. In short, it's a typical Maroon 5 record- and that's a good thing.

Very disappointing album. First album was great - lots of powerful stuff. 2nd album good, but this one, Hands All Over, is pitiful. Can I return it for a full refund??? Album cover is great, album content is just too much light weight pop schmalz for my liking!!!

These songs are catchy and great, many of them are going to be in my playlist for a long, long time. There is great variety, while at the same time they didn't stray too far from what they do best. It's new, but still Maroon 5.

The only thing I'd say is that there are less of those signature vocals. Although I hear them here now and then, there are not really as many "She Will Be Loved" high notes and less jazz-oriented smoothness. A lot of the songs are straight up pop, just not written to highlight what I thought was one of the best aspects of this band - the vocal styling.

Die-hard Maroon 5 fans are going to absolutely love this album.

But everyone else can walk away knowing this is almost exactly the same as the last album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long.

Hands All Over is another helping of Maroon 5's boring take on power-pop, filled with the same chord progressions, the same sounds, the same Levine oo-oo-ooohs, the same clichéd, boring, lyrics about a different one-dimensional woman each track.

If this were the first album from a new band, I'd say it was "promising." But this is the third studio release from an artist that has been in the national spotlight, getting Clear Channel plays daily, for eight years now. It more of the same just isn't enough.

There aren't very many modern bands that I really like--especially not enough to purchase all of their CDs--but I must admit, I am somewhat addicted to the unique voice of Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5. When I heard the first release from this new album, "Misery," I thought it was kind of catchy, but I had no plans to buy the CD. However, the song grew on me, and it wasn't long before I found myself placing an Amazon order.

HANDS ALL OVER definitely IS a catchy CD. "Misery" opens the album, but the three tracks which follow, "Give a Little More," "Stutter," and "Don't Know Nothing," all have a very similar, pop-like feel. This is fine; they are decent enough tunes. But they lack lack the soulfulness of ballad like "She Will Be Loved" or the edginess of "Harder to Breathe" (both tracks from the band's first album, Songs About Jane. Even their second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, retained a bit more of a rough sound (e.g., "Wake Up Call") interspersed with ballads such as "Goodnight Goodnight" and "Better That We Break."

And that's the main problem I have with HANDS ALL OVER--the lack of variety. Every song seems like another pure pop tune; the one track coming closest to a ballad is probably "Just a Feeling," which is still fairly up-tempo. Similarly, there are no singles that really stand out from the crowd, either, although the title track, "Hands All Over," does have a bit of a funkier sound. Also, the duet with Lady Antebellum, "Out of Goodbyes," is well-done, but nothing remarkable. Same goes for the bonus acoustic tracks--certainly nice enough, but they don't really make a huge impact. I do kind of like the final (non-bonus) track, "Curtain Call"; there's nothing really special about this song either, but it does highlight Levine's vocals, which is probably why I enjoy it.

In the end, I am happy with this album purchase, although I don't see any of the songs here becoming my new favorites. Recommended if you are already a fan of Maroon 5; if not, go out and get yourself Songs About Jane first.

JUST LOOKING AT THE ARTWORK BEFORE THE CD WAS RELEASED I THOUGHT WHAT A COVER LIKE 1980'S BANDS (example ratt
"out of the cellar" this is pop, commercial because of the production. i still think it very good music.
the band sounds great, very good harmony, i gave it 4 stars because some of the songs sound so shania twain.
but we know that is because of the producer. then i hear a little def leppard in the song "hands all over",
i like the music and the energy

Well, the songs probably won't wow you, even if the sexy album artwork does.

Maroon 5's new album Hands All Over is okay. In my opinion, It Won't Be Soon Before Long was superior in the sense that it had more bite to both the lyrics and the instrumentals. It was sexy and made you move in spite of yourself. If that album was a tiger, then this one is its purring kitten cousin.

"Misery", the single from the album, probably has the most life and funkiness of the conglomerate. This is an example of what we have come to expect from Maroon 5. It translates well into an acoustic track, (included separately on the album) and Adam Levine's vocals really shine when backed with just hand claps and faint guitar.

"Last Chance" and "If I Ain't Got You" are the live tracks of choice for this album. "Not Coming Home" from Songs About Jane was preferable to me, personally. "If I Ain't Got You" is a cover of, yes, the Alicia Keys hit. The band doesn't do a bad job with it. I'd prefer this track to "Last Chance", which is a rather vanilla pop track.

Some of the better tracks here would include the title track, "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" and "Get Back in My Life". These seem to have a bit more passion behind the emotions and invite us in. The acoustic version of "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" appearing later on in the album helps it come into its own, while "Don't Know Nothing" carries a bit of the old-school Motown sound.

The band's cover of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing About Love" is surprisingly well done. It's not Freddie Mercury, but it'll do. "Just a Feeling" is a sweet break-up ballad whereas "Give a Little More" reminds me of the days of disco.

Lady Antebellum guest stars on "Out of Goodbyes" which seems like quite the odd pairing, doesn't it? The song isn't awful but hearing the country twang behind Levine's vocals is something I'd definitely need to accept over time. Hillary Scott and Levine sing quite well together, though, I must admit.

This album is definitely lighter on its feet. It possesses a lot less funk and is a bit of a sleeper. If someone was new to Maroon 5 and asked for suggestions, I wouldn't start them off with this one.