Album Review: Maroon 5 – Love Is Like
2 min read
Mainstream darlings Maroon 5 have continually proven themselves to be a group that can move with the punches. Its been over two decades since the release of their debut Songs About Jane, but despite the abundance of hits littering that release it would be hard to distinguish that group from the chart-toppers they are today. With countless songs hitting billions of streams, top-ten hits galore, and frontman Adam Levine seeing his own mainstream success, Maroon 5 have truly settled in the public consciousness. Now they’ve returned with eighth album Love Is Like.
Hideaway kicks off the album perfectly. Sun-drenched pop with a catchy melody from Adam Levine, it’s generic but mixed tightly with real punch in the bass. It sets up the albums style well, with the following title track taking many of the same queues but featuring the legendary Lil Wayne. His verse is like a throwback to the 2010’s, with some charming references to both Lassie and Murder She Wrote in the same bar. All Night is a foot-stomping funk-tinged tune with a hooky sax motif, while Yes I Did straddles trap banger and string-laden ballad.
Lead single Priceless featuring LISA of BLACKPINK fame is a premium slice of lavish soul-pop, the aforementioned’s verse floating over the instrumental like air over a calm sea. The most memorable feature on the record however has to be Sexyy Red, who opens I Like It with her signature before launching into a surprisingly PG verse. The rest of the tune is an advert-friendly, trumpet heavy pop bop. Burn Burn Burn and Jealousy Problems both feature bouncy beats and Adam doing his best low-key performances. My Love acts as a final pop tune before final track California concludes the album on a touching note. The short and sweet acoustic led ballad acts as both a love song to a person and the state.
Love Is Like is a collection of songs that is both a paired back release in terms of runtime and features, and a step back towards a more sunny sound compared with their last record Jordi. Maroon 5 have proven over the years to be an ever-evolving group, and this release sees them on the same unknown trajectory. It is, however, one of the more enjoyable in their catalogue.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
