Maroon 5's latest release Jordi is the band's first album release since 2019 and it's interesting to see the direction the band have taken: the direction being the same direction as their last few albums.
Jordi is, for want of a better word, just fine. We see Maroon 5, once again, in the world of easy-to-listen pop which admittedly, they do well. There are moments within the album that do strike a chord and show a sense of emotional vulnerability that you don't normally see in the bubblegum style pop we're used to from Maroon 5. The lead single of the album, 'Memories', is no doubt a stand-out. It tugs at the heartstrings while having a positive outlook on life ahead, with lyrics including "Everybody hurts someday / But everything gon' be alright /Go and raise a glass.../",
Jordi also harbors some incredibly impressive features on Jordi, ranging from everyone from Meghan Thee Stallion to Stevie Nicks. The collaboration with blackbear, 'Echo' is a great contribution to the album, as one of the most emotion-filled songs on the album, combined with blackbear's stylings which seem to match Maroon 5's really well. It's lyrical content takes a darker tone than a lot of the albums other songs with phrases like "Novocaine / I thought I couldn't feel no pain / But it still feels like, ooh, when I hear your name". However, it's this darker tone where we actually find Maroon 5 at their best.
This success can't be said for all of the features on Jordi. It's difficult to say but 'Remedy' with Stevie Nicks, feels like a low point in the album. This is a shame because Stevie Nicks is a music icon, but there's something about the song that doesn't work - maybe it's the vocals mixing together, maybe it's the song generally. Either way, it just doesn't quite hit the spot that you'd imagine a collab with a rock icon to hit.
As with any given Maroon 5 release since they started out in the music industry, Adam Levine's albums are consistently good and match the tone of the songs being presented. It really is the one thing the band will never be faulted on because he really is just a great singer. However, he's not pushing out of his comfort zones with his vocal stylings, which actually leads to a bigger problem with Maroon 5 as a whole; they're not pushing forward.
It feels as if Maroon 5 have found themselves stuck in this pop era, and they're not really going anywhere with it. Pop is becoming much more experimental and groundbreaking, but Maroon 5 just doesn't seem to be following that curve. It's almost as if they're purposely creating the type of music that'll be overplayed on the radio but people will forget about it in a few months. It's fully understood that Maroon 5 didn't want to stay put in their pop-rock Songs about Jane era, and the move to full-blown pop back in 2012 was really good, but nothing much has progressed since. Maroon 5 are a talented band, and Adam Levine is an incredibly talented lead vocalist, so there is so much promise as to where Maroon 5 could go, but they just, don't seem to be going anywhere.
RATING: 6/10
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