Quick N' Dirty Reviews - Pop/Rock Edition

Maroon 5/ It Won’t Be Soon Before Long
You don’t ever really hear about a lot of unrefined pop. The types of music that are most likely to catch on with the general population are usually about as processed as Twinkies. Maroon 5’s latest, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, is no exception. This is an album that has been genetically engineered for pop superstardom. There are hooks to spare as every track on this record was bred to be a single. Gone is the almost organic sound of their debut, Songs About Jane, and in its place is a colder (yet funkier) feel that alternately is the best that the band has ever sounded and is one that wears its influences on its sleeve to an almost distracting level. A track like “Makes Me Wonder” combines a much tighter sound than their past work would suggest with singer Adam Levine’s biting kiss-off to an ex-lover, “And it really makes me wonder if I ever gave a fuck about you,” to become one of the year’s top singles, but it’s joined by a song in “Goodnight Goodnight” that’s a terrible combo of 3 Doors Down-level guitars and incredibly maudlin lyrics that must have been written using a Songwriting For Dummies instruction manual. The palpable influence of The Police is felt more than once, on both “Not Falling Apart” and “Won’t Go Home Without You.” The irresistible chorus of “Not Falling Apart” saves it from all-out larceny but the thievery of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” is so blatant on “Won’t Go Home Without You” that it drags the entire track down with it. Despite these missteps, somewhere along the way the influences begin to gel as even though Maroon 5 “borrow” from OutKast on “Little Of Your Time,” recycle a hook from Kanye West on “Nothing Lasts Forever,” and fuse Prince and Michael Jackson on “Kiwi,” the songs begin to work, most especially “Kiwi.” With its dirty lyrics (“Sweet Kiwi/ Your juice is dripping down my chin”) and bonafide Jackson vocals that evolve into a Prince-esque guitar freak-out in its coda, “Kiwi”’ demonstrates the direction that Maroon 5 should follow as Levine is developing into a fairly talented pop vocalist who’s backed by a band that’s improving in its own right. Even though Songs About Jane became an “overnight success story” two years after its release, it took Maroon 5 almost five years to craft a follow up. Based on the flashes of talent on It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, it would be a shame if it took another five years before hearing from Maroon 5 again.

Dirty Rating: 76/100

Maroon 5 On MySpace Music
Maroon 5's Official Site


Barenaked Ladies/ Barenaked Ladies Are Men
On the basis of the regrettable popularity of “One Week” back in 1998, Barenaked Ladies rose to pop/rock prominence in the US in support of that year’s album, Stunt. With the exception of the trite “One Week,” it was a fairly agreeable slice of ‘90’s pop and after banging around since early that decade and enjoying superstar success in their native Canada, BNL had finally broken the US. Unfortunately for them, “One Week” would serve as their supernova as their popularity has never shone as brightly since. After their moment in the sun ended, they began to settle into their new role as pop journeymen and their latest, Barenaked Ladies Are Men, is an embodiment of the exhaustion of the humor, wordplay, and fun of their earlier releases, and maybe even the exhaustion of the band itself. I really don’t even need to strain to write this review because BNL’s song titles do it for me. “Quality?” Uh… no. “Why Say Anything Nice?” Can’t, really. “Another Spin?” No thanks. “What A Letdown?” You said it. BNL started on this downward slope with 2003's Everything To Everyone, a record not without its moments but one whose moments were few and far between. That ratio is even greater on Barenaked Ladies Are Men. With the exception of “One And Only,” “Half A Heart,” and “Maybe Not” (the album’s one true hope for a hit single), all of which are sung by the band’s overlooked MVP, bassist/co-lead vocalist Ed Robertson, everything here is either tired and rehashed or just outright ill-advised. The band experiments with different sounds than in the past to little or no benefit. There’s the ironic (and not in a good way) anger of “Angry People,” in which co-lead vocalist Steven Page angrily rants about… uh... angry people; the vaudeville interlude of “Fun & Games” (side note – BNL should stick to their strengths and do songs about what they’d buy with one million dollars and avoid trying to tackle heavy stuff like the war in Iraq), and the new wavy “Down To Earth” that bounces along until its clunky chorus kicks in. Simply put, if Barenaked Ladies Are Men is the best that BNL has to offer at this stage of their career, perhaps it’s time to hang ‘em up and let Robertson get on with the solo career that he so richly deserves because at this point he’s the only member of the band with any spark left.

Dirty Rating: 44/100

Barenaked Ladies On MySpace Music
Barenaked Ladies' Official Site

Lifehouse/ Who We Are
OK – I admit it. I’m a closet Lifehouse fan. Feels good to get that off my chest. I’ll wait for a bit for you to stop laughing. Is it out of your system yet? Yes? Let’s move on, then. Lifehouse is one of those bands that puts out perfectly acceptable pop/rock records. Their fourth studio outing, Who We Are, is more of the same. What Who We Are is is the expected collection of mid-tempo ballads and rock songs that slowly build to loud choruses. No more, no less. If that’s not your bag, then move on. If it is, then you’ll probably dig tracks like “First Time,” which follows the template set forth in singles like “Hanging By A Moment” and “Spin” from their previous records. Sure, it’s familiar territory but damned if it isn’t catchy. For the ballad fans, “Broken's" sappy lyrics are much in the same vein as their monster hit from their last record, “You And Me,” but damn it… that song was huge so why not try it again? I admit it – it all comes down to personal preference here. If this were any other band I’d probably be tearing them a new asshole right now, but there’s something about this band that I like. I can’t quite put my finger on it and I really wish I didn’t like ‘em, but what are you going to do? They’ve been doing the same thing for four records now so you know not to expect any innovation, but if you’re listening to Lifehouse you’re not really looking for that in the first place. Sometimes it’s good to just turn your brain off and listen to some mindless music, so God bless Lifehouse for serving that purpose. Someone has to do it.

Dirty Rating: 70/100

Lifehouse On MySpace Music
Lifehouse's Official Site