Hands All Over
Maroon 5
A brief aside: Robert 'Mutt' Lange must have the weirdest production CV of almost anyone in the rock era. Who else has managed to make an astonishing living at the helm of worldwide hit albums from artists as diverse as Def Leppard, AC/DC, The Corrs and Shania Twain?
He is, however, the perfect person to buff up Maroon 5's lascivious pop, given that Adam Levine clearly fancies himself as something of a dirty old rock star.
The album begins with a puzzle. Misery might be an accomplished pop song, a clear hit, but it's also 90% based on a hit they've already had: This Love. Its provocative placement at the gateway into this album's garden of sonic delights is clearly designed to send a message – that they're back and just as good as ever – but it's not one they needed to bother sending.
The thing is, there ARE sonic delights on offer here. One listen to Out of Goodbyes, a sumptuous country/bossa nova duet with Lady Antebellum, should be proof enough that Maroon 5 know their way around the laboratory in which good pop songs are formulated better than most.
How and Don't Know Nothing boast deliciously unexpected melodic twists in their choruses: a shrugged cadence of resignation in the latter, a surprise howl to the skies in the former. You have to be good at music to do this kind of thing.
Of course, there's also a lot of evidence here that hard work, tunesmithery and competence can be a stifling influence. The Jack Johnson soul of I Can't Lie and the big stadium balladry of Just a Feeling both suffer from a suffocating fug of quality workmanship, at the expense of any kind of personality or fun.
Whereas the rude guitar sleaze of Hands All Over, or the cocky glam-stomp in Stutter's verses show a band who are really at their best when they play pop music like the sleazy rockers they clearly are. In Adam Levine's mind, at least.
Reviewed by Fraser McAlpine
Never Gonna Leave This Bed and Hands All Over are the only decent songs on this album.
I noticed Maroon 5 before almost everbody at my school ... and now, everybody now them ... It was the same about Jarle Bernhoft.
Whole Album is good. "Wake You Up in the middle of the night to say.."
never gonna leave this bed, looove sooooo s2
Songs About Jane Is 10x Better :/
Stutter ♥
Get Back In My Life = EPIC UNDERRATED WIN
Misery
Runaway <3 [2]
This album ♥
<3
My favourtie album ♥
i bought it, listened to it once and put it away because i really didn't like it that much but today i gave it another try and omg, it grew on me so much! it's really good, needs a few listens to appreciate it
Runaway <3
Moves Like Jagger? [3]
Never Gonna Leave This Bed <3
2011?
Viciando *-*
this cd was worth buying! im glad i own it and love every record :)
they also added Moves Like Jagger to newer physical copies of the CD too! :D
Hands All Over and Stutter are amazing.
Misery <3
<3
Moves Like Jagger is in the new Digital edition of the album :)
Love = <3 = ♥ = ADAM ISH MINE! =D
Moves Like Jagger & Runaway ♥
they added "moves like jagger" in new itunes version of this LP.
this album is WAY better than it won't be soon before long.
Moves Like Jagger? [2]
Moves Like Jagger?
This isn't my favorite, but it's lyrically the most incredible.
Their worst, lack of good songs, thats pity cause such a legendary producer worked with them on this album.
also, no last chance and no no curtain call? fuck the normal version, deluxe version or nothing for me. (last chance is my favourite, and out of goodbyes kinda sucks for a closer)
what? i never said that, songs about jane is the best, is way superior, less poppy. This is the second best. But even if you think this one is better, the second album is obviously the worst.
@placebo_molko: agree, and songs about jane was the worst work by this band :lol
the best Maroon 5 album !!!
i've heard hands all over and so far it's better than it won't be soon before long. That album was crap, except for a couple songs. This one has better production or mixing or whatever
Still don't get how this is dismayed by most of the Maroon 5 fans I meet on the internet, it's got better pacing and is more risky then It Won't Be...
I HEART MAROON 5. THERE YOU GO.
Very underrated and Robert John "Mutt" Lange did his thing on the production.
OMG, only 1 million plays.
Mutt Lunge took their incredible music and put it up a level. He has a habit of doing that. (he did that with Black Horse too)
Get Back In My Life♥Runaway♥
i'd say it's even better than their first album <3 hands all over, just a feeling, runaway, don't know nothing, no curtain call
Hands all over ♥
Nice.)
Love all songs. ♥
Never Gonna Leave This Bed cool
"never gonna leave this bed" is pretty good. I would say my fav from the album
Equal in quality with Songs About Jane IMO