It is a shame to admit that Adam Levine, member of Maroon 5 and judge on NBC's "The Voice," has officially sold out. Levine has long been a crush of mine and scrutinizing him like this pains me so. He is incredibly talented, handsome and, from what I have seen, kind, funny and lighthearted. I do enjoy most of his music since he has such an iconic and unique sound. However, I miss the old days.
Adam and the gentlemen of Maroon 5 won us all over with their hit song "She Will Be Loved," or as we all know it, she wiiiiiiilll be looooooved. It is just impossible not to belt this one out from the very bottom of your heart and soul. The song is genuine, sincere and absolutely beautiful.
Many of the songs on the "Songs About Jane" album follow suit, including "Sunday Morning," "Sweetest Goodbye" and more upbeat jams like "Harder to Breath" and "This Love". The entire album is a masterpiece, and I wouldn't mind spending every day, out on my corner in the pouring rain listening to it. (Ha, get it?)
Anyway, the men of Maroon 5 went on to create even more irresistible jams like "Misery," (a top favorite) "Makes Me Wonder," "If I Never See Your Face Again" with Rihanna and "Moves like Jagger." As we go down this list, the songs get more and more hokey. "Animals," "Sugar" and "Payphone" also come to mind when delving further into this subject.
I do not like where the music industry is going. I get angry at myself for falling into each gimmicky chorus, but the man is just too good. While I do get sucked into these catchy ditties, there is nothing I scream-sing louder or more terribly than any of the 12 tracks on "Songs About Jane." In the car, in the shower, in my room, doesn't matter. Any time. Anywhere. Zero shame. I would bury my face if someone caught me bumpin' to "Moves like Jagger" at a red light, though. Well, probably not actually.
The point is, Levine let me down in terms of content and quality of material. Selling out means compromising authenticity for personal gain. The guy awkwardly hopping around in front of what I'm assuming is a pink Dogwood in "This Love" can't be the same guy wearing a suit jacket in a high-speed car chase away from a bank robbery. I mean, the car explodes. Quite theatrical.
Regardless of how over the top the music video for "Payphone" is, Levine is sitting pretty and blemish free thanks to Proactiv, on his dough. I applaud his successes, but I admire the songwriter that he was, not the money-making machine he has become.
