Best Albums !: Maroon 5

26 April, 2008

Maroon 5. It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007)

It Won't Be Soon Before Long is Maroon 5's second studio album, released on May 22, 2007. It came almost a full five years after their debut, Songs About Jane. The name was inspired by a phrase the band adopted to keep themselves motivated while on their tour. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 429,484 copies in its first week.

It Won't Be Soon Before Long has twelve songs, plus 7 bonus tracks. The band stated in interviews that the album has a different feel to it than the Songs About Jane. The songs will not all be based on one specific relationship, as in Jane; and will also have a different sound than their first album, being more electric and drawing inspiration from such artists as the Talking Heads, Michael Jackson and Prince. A review written prior to to the album's release described the songs as having a very retro feel. Adam Levine explained that this record is a little more self-confident and powerful lyrically: "...you can dance to it, there's a little more attitude. The 12 official album tracks, as well as the 7 bonus tracks, have all been leaked onto the Internet.

According to Levine working with other artists had influences on the album: "Kanye West and Alicia Keys are amazing talents, in totally different ways. Just seeing such amazing people working in the studio. I definitely took things away from them.

The lead single from the album is "Makes Me Wonder", which has recently been nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video.

The chorus of "Nothing Lasts Forever" is the same used in the Kanye West single "Heard 'Em Say", which features Adam Levine with exclusion to the line, "...the distance between us makes it so hard to stay... The song has also been featured in a trailer for the upcoming movie Definitely, Maybe

Track Listing

"If I Never See Your Face Again" (Adam Levine/James Valentine) – 3:21
"Makes Me Wonder" (Adam Levine/Jesse Carmichael/Mickey Madden) – 3:31
"Little of Your Time" (Adam Levine) – 2:17
"Wake Up Call" (Adam Levine/James Valentine) – 3:21
"Won't Go Home Without You" (Adam Levine) – 3:51
"Nothing Lasts Forever" (Adam Levine)– 3:07
"Can't Stop" (Adam Levine/James Valentine)– 2:32
"Goodnight Goodnight" (Adam Levine)– 4:03
"Not Falling Apart" (Adam Levine) – 4:03
"Kiwi" (Adam Levine/Jesse Carmichael) – 3:34
"Better That We Break" (Adam Levine) – 3:06
"Back at Your Door" (Adam Levine/Jesse Carmichael) – 3:47

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Maroon 5. Songs About Jane (2002)

Songs About Jane is the debut album by Los Angeles rock/pop band Maroon 5. The title refers to Jane Herman, lead singer Adam Levine's ex-girlfriend. The album was released in June 2002 and by the end of 2004 it had reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200 charts.

All but one member of Maroon 5 had been members of a previous Los Angeles band called Kara's Flowers which released an album called The Fourth World in mid-1997 on Reprise Records with little success. Kara's Flowers left Reprise Records in 1999 and with the addition of guitarist James Valentine became Maroon 5.

The band played show case gigs in New York City and Los Angeles. Singer and guitarist Adam Levine credited the interregnum for influencing the band's new style in an interview with VH1. "During the time between our record deals, I spent a lot of time in New York where I was exposed to an urban and hip-hop culture in a way that had never happened to me in L.A. It turned me on to an entirely new genre of music which has had a profound impact on my song writing."

The band signed with Octone Records, a New York independent label with distribution through BMG and an artist development deal with Clive Davis' J Records. The band recorded Songs about Jane at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles with producer Matt Wallace who had also produced with Train, Blues Traveler and Third Eye Blind.