Album Review: Maroon 5 ‘Hands All Over’ (+ stream full album)

4.5/5 Howls

Bottom Line: Maroon5 delivers a delicious fantastic pop-funk album perfect for listening to anywhere from in your car to in your bedroom.

I have a huge “problem” with Maroon 5. Every time I listen to them, it makes me want to hump something! Their third album (released Tuesday) Hands All Over, is no exception, and I can’t wait to share it here on HotW. Maroon 5 came through big time on this album, changing their sound while maintaining their signature sexy funk feel.

Hands All Over definitely showcases the band’s maturity. The band tries a few changes to their style, and they pull it off flawlessly (think a more Jackson 5-esque sound). It has been noted that the sex appeal oozing Adam Levine seems to be going a little higher in his vocal register, but it doesn’t negatively impact anything, and it’s not higher on every song. There are certainly strains of the It Won’t Be Soon Before Long style, with songs like “Misery”, “Give A Little More”, “Stutter”, “Get Back In My Life” and the title track “Hands All Over”. But to balance these songs, there are the markedly more calm songs like “Don’t Know Nothing”, “I Can’t Lie”, “Just A Feeling”, “How” and the duet with country star Lady Antebellum “Out Of Goodbyes” (the harmony on this song is gorgeous).

Standout tracks for me on this album were “Stutter”, “Hands All Over”, “Give A Little More” and the acoustic version of “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” (which is quite possibly the very best song on this album… but I really think the acoustic version is farrrrr superior than the studio version. It’s just incredibly sexy.). I’m personally partial to Maroon 5’s more upbeat tracks (and more upbeat tracks in general), but even saying that, I honestly can’t say there is a bad track on this entire album. Maroon 5 continues to put out quality funk-pop, and I can only say I’m extremely satisfied with their newest effort. After giving this a listen, I’ve got to say, I’m so excited to see them in Berkeley in a couple weeks!

Put this on in your bedroom and enjoy: