Songs About Jane

Maroon 5

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 25, 2002)
• Original Release Date: June 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M / Octone
• ASIN: B00006879E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (872 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,081 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Maroon 5 aren't the first band to fuse R&B and rock, but they certainly are one of the most convincing. One can almost hear Stevie Wonder's beaded braids clattering in time to their deep, funky grooves. At best, the band conjures up latter-day Motown, complete with a shuddering organ and hyperbolic vocals; at worst, they sound like a stylized boy band, with all the attendant close harmonies and dramatic pauses. But despite these musical schisms, Maroon 5 are a thoroughly engaging outfit, thanks to throbbing bass lines, hooky songs, and lead singer Adam Levin's swaggering delivery. --Jaan Uhelszki

John Mayer

"The perfect blend of melody and grit. One of the best live bands to come along in a while".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

199 of 216 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and Funky, December 7, 2003

By	M. METCALF (Cleveland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

SONGS ABOUT JANE is sure to become a classic pop/rock album.Released way back in the summer of 2002 its about time fans and radio stations alike have finally taken notice to this great album. The first single HARDER TO BREATHE, was just a tip of the iceberg and if you like variety, you have found the right album. The second single, THIS LOVE, blends pop, with rock and dance and is a song that you cant help singing and dancing along with. There are also ballads to choose from as well and I would look for either MUST GET OUT or SHE WILL BE LOVED to be possible single choices sometime in the near future.

Other standout tracks on the album include SUNDAY MORNING, THROUGH WITH YOU & THE SUN with each track on the album sounding distinctly differant.

There are definate R & B/funk influences all over this album and will all of the rap songs and R & B ballads taking over the pop charts these days, it is very refreshing to hear a group like Maroon 5 and songs like HARDER TO BREATHE and THIS LOVE getting significant play at radio.

Buy this album today and be prepared to sing and dance all day and make sure you catch them live when they come to a town near you.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane, April 13, 2003

By	Rob Testerman (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Maroon 5 brings to us a brilliant mix of soul, rock, funk, and R&B so slickly crafted that most people wont know how to take them. The intense vocal range of frontman Adam Levine is matched perfectly by this incredibly smooth band. Dueling guitars, jazzy keys, and a rhythm section cooler than Barry White in the late 70s bring this massive sound to a head.

The harmonies brought forth on this disc bear an uncanny resemblance to Michael Jackson, though the utter lack of synth-pop backing, creates a sound all its own. The album, Songs About Jane, is clearly devoted primarily the relationships and love-life of Levine, who is also the bands main songwriter. Probably the most outright pop tune on the album would be She Will be Loved, which happens to tell the most interesting story lyrically. This track is apparently about the singers infatuation and empathy toward an attractive young prostitute, who he visits frequently in an attempt to make her feel as beautiful as she is.

It is difficult to pick out standout tracks on an album like this, where every song is so equally fantastic. The...funk-tastic tune Not Coming Home, along with the slowed down lounge groove, Secret, are 2 of my personal favorites, although every song on here has strength alone. The first single, which to this point has only received minimal notice and success, Harder to Breathe, is clearly the most alternative of the album. Sweetest Goodbye is also a great way to wrap this album up and leave the listener smiling from this R&B tinged love song.

Overall, this may be one of the best albums of 2002. The talent for writing great pop tunes that stray from the synth-pop and electronic influences of current radio mainstays may make this album great, but I can imagine the difficulty in marketing a band like this to mainstream audiences who fight tooth and nail to place everything in categories and genres. If you really want a great band to chill and relax to, but one that never falls into the category of background music then Maroon 5 is for you. And if youre a woman, age 18-30 and youre single, check out Maroon 5 live, because from listening to Mr. Levines lyrics, I can tell you one thing  this guy LOVES women.
9/10<

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try It ,You Will Like It, March 26, 2004

By	Brian Mumpower - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Maroon 5 emerged onto the college scene in 1999 as Kara's Flowers. After their first release on Reprise Records, (The Fourth World), they were dropped by the label. They subsequently fine-tuned their unique sound and were signed by Octone Records (an indie division of J-Records/Clive Davis) in 2002. That same year, Songs About Jane was released. It is a worthy project from a group of talented artists that defies categorization fusing a mixture of genres into a finely tuned work of modern art. The now platinum status of this CD is evidence of the group's hard work and burgeoning mass appeal. Stand out tracks are the 2003 hit Harder to Breathe and the current top ten hit This Love. She Will Be Loved is a slower yet just as appealing mellow tune that adds to the diversity of this disc. Tangled and The Sun will help you get your funk on while Sunday Morning is a fun, hip tune that will have you singing along. The key to this CD's success is the diversity of musical styles. It never leaves one with a bland feeling, constantly surprising the listener with a mixture of Rock, Soul, Funk and R&B. A musical delight from beginning to end, Maroon 5 should have a bright future.