134: 1.22.03. Acoustic, by Maroon 5

Maroon 5 (USA)
1.22.03. Acoustic (2004)
7 tracks, 29 minutes
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I believe that there is opportunity for good in every music, and pop music is no exception (although I admit you may have to look a little harder to find the good among the pap – but it’s there! Usually!). For a while at least, Maroon 5 were, in my opinion, making some of the best pop music out there. Their debut, 2002’s Songs About Jane, was a hit around the world, and the soulful melodies, band performance and lead singer Adam Levine’s voice all set them apart from the rest of what was on the radio at the time.

This album is something a bit different. It’s only a very short one, sort of an extended EP in a way, and as you can tell from its title, it’s an acoustic set (mostly). It was recorded live at the Hit Factory in New York, and the sound quality is…fine, I guess. It’s not the best recorded live album I’ve ever heard but it’s definitely far from the worst. But of course, it’s the performances here that are what makes this one special.

The songs included are mostly from Songs About Jane, but there’s something about this performance that really highlights both the band’s musicianship and their songwriting. Performing their songs on two acoustic guitars, piano, electric bass (cheats) and a bit of a badly-tuned djembe, together with Levine’s lead vocals and some nice harmonies here and there, it’s nice to hear the songs stand on their own without the added studio flashiness. The influences from Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison and the Beatles are clear (they actually feature a quiet cover the latter’s ‘If I Fell’ here), and somehow the acoustic setting also serves to bring out the latent funkiness of the band’s music, along with the standard soulfulness that coats all of the studio album. What interests me the most, though, is the piano - pianist Jesse Carmichael has a habit of adding quite a lot of extensions on his chord playing on most of the track, which even lends a jazzy flow to the set.

I should probably also mention the bonus, non-acoustic track, a cover of AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’. It’s a bit amusing but doesn’t make for great listening, and it’s basically an unnecessary addition to the end of the album. Ah well. Ignoring that bit though, I think they were really onto something with this album. The live setting leaves it a bit lacking, but there’s great ideas here; it would have been great if they’d have used the live experiences to record proper acoustic versions of the set in a studio, ironing out the kinks and making the sound extra sparkly while leaving the organic feel. But they didn’t. Again, ah well.

It was really disappointing to hear Maroon 5’s descent from a promising band navigating the pop world with something different in their sound to basically making electropop that sounded like everything else that was out there. Perhaps their album tracks were somewhat different, but I wouldn’t know – their singles definitely didn’t reflect that. Luckily, that doesn’t take away the pleasure of listening to their earlier stuff, and Songs About Jane and 1.22.03. Acoustic both still stand up, proving that pop music – sometimes – can be really good.