Rating: NNN
No matter what anyone says, Maroon 5’s second record, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, will be a chart-destroyer. It’s packed with even more infectious hooks than its predecessor, no shortage of Justin Timberlake-meets-Jamiroquai dance beats and even a few cheesy slow dance tracks perfect for the grade 12 prom. If you’re only into the band for the music, then this will be a solid purchase – it’s far more polished and focused than Songs About Jane. Lyrically, though, this album gets tired fast, as singer Adam Levine lets us know he’s got some serious issues with women (reinforcing the man-whore accusations). On Little Of Your Time, he’s got no problem making his love interest “feel it,” but he just can’t say “I love you.” The other tracks are pretty much the same: either someone’s dumped him, or he’s incapable of making a relationship work. Let’s hope Levine falls in love with one of his good-looking socialite girlfriends before the next record.
Maroon 5 play Lee’s Palace June 15.