Maroon 5, JORDI | Album Review 💿

On their seventh studio album, JORDI, Maroon 5 has its moments, but fall suffers from a lack of distinction and engaging songwriting.

The key to longevity in the music business is adaptability. Undoubtedly, 🎙 Maroon 5 has been able to adapt and assimilate to a changing pop landscape.  As the collective releases its seventh studio album, 💿 JORDI, it’s amazing how different it sounds compared to 💿 Songs About Jane, which was released in 2002.  While no one can criticize 🎙 Adam Levine and company’s ability to adapt to pop trends as they come and go, what they can criticize is the execution and a lack of evolution and innovative spirit.  In the 2010s the band but their ups in downs.  With their first album of the 2020s, JORDI, things feel very predictable, unmemorable, and clearly missing the punch the band once had. 

“Beautiful Mistakes” 

JORDI starts out respectably with ✅ 🎵 “Beautiful Mistakes” featuring 🎙 Megan Thee Stallion.  As has been the case in recent times, Maroon 5 continues to embrace the ultra-sleek, modern pop sound. Expectedly, Adam Levine sings well, even with ample vocal processing. Melodically, this is a record that is tuneful enough without being game changing.  Levine and company do muster up a catchy chorus, aimed squarely at the pop crowd.  Megan Thee Stallion provides a tame but rhythmic verse that flows well. She incorporates some singing, complementing the melodic vibe of this cut.  Still, we all know she’s at her best when sexed-up and unapologetic AF. Ultimately, “Beautiful Mistakes” uses the formula the band has employed for years.  It’s enjoyable enough without being transcendent.

🎵 “Lost” continues those sleek vibes established by “Beautiful Mistakes.” 🎛 The Monsters & Strangerz construct a solid backdrop for Adam to sing over.  So, with the production and vocals checking off boxes, what’s the issue with “Lost?” Honestly, it’s just not particularly memorable or rousing.  The songwriting is where things fall short, with Levine not being able to channel enough personality to fuel it to the next level.  🎙 Blackbear joins Levine on 🎵 “Echo,” bringing those instantly recognizable pipes along with him.  He’s an acquired taste but does provide sweet contrast here and delivers some sweet ad-libs.  Likewise, Adam is still Adam, spoiling us with his ripe falsetto.  The production (🎛 Michael Pollack and 🎛 Cirkut) is very 21^st century – urban-infused pop.  Nothing game changing, but okay.

“Lovesick”

On 🎵 “Lovesick,” Levine continues to ‘do his thing’ (falsetto namely), but I’m not crazy about the vocal production.  There’s a bit too much processing.  As far as the overall production, it’s okay, but nothing that ‘moves the needle’ or dares ‘swings the pendulum.’ Again, the songwriting lacks memorability, even if the chorus is simple and repetitive.  A missed opportunity, at least to some extent, is 🎵 “Remedy” in my eyes.  Notably, Maroon 5 are able to secure the vocals of an icon – 🎙 Stevie Nicks. Props for that. That said, the end result is a duet that feels half-cooked at best.  After several listens, I’m just not sold that all of the pieces meshed and came together perfectly.  While I see the vision being chased, I’m not certain this blend of contemporary and classic pop/rock quite gelled ultimately.  Again, the songwriting is a bit letdown, when even Levine’s f-bomb from the second verse barely raises an eyebrow.

The good news on 🎵 “Seasons” is that Adam Levine sounds like a pop musician 15 years or so younger.  Ageless, Mr. Levine! The melody very much emulates melodic rap, a force in pop music in general.  Adding to the melodic rap vibes, Adam exhibits some swagger, though, I’m pretty sure swagger has long been considered ‘archaic’ in pop music.  Again, the main issue with the song is its lack of compelling songwriting.  Yes, Maroon 5 create a vibe, but beyond that vibe, “Seasons” isn’t memorable, let alone transcendent.  🎵 “One Light” (featuring 🎙 Bantu) has its share of moments.  Such moments include the chorus, sung repeatedly by Levine throughout (“One light, one light, one light / It’s a damn dark world / But there’s one light”), as well as the groove.  Bantu, like other featured guests, does a good job of contrasting Levine.  While the production is minimalist initially, I appreciate the evolution towards at the end of the song.  Still, the songwriting is just okay.

“Convince Me Otherwise”

✅ 🎵 “Convince Me Otherwise” marks one of the more intriguing songs from JORDI – the album needed a ‘win’ at this point.  While there still imperfections in my eyes, ultimately, the good outweighs the bad.  Tapping 🏆 Oscar/Grammy-winning R&B singer 🎙 H.E.R. for the assist is a big win. I love the way she sounds on this particular cut.  Of course, Levine sounds pretty sweet on this duet in his own right – one of his better vocal performances on JORDI.   The sound of the record is another selling point, though the one nitpick is that I wish the production was slighter clearer, and crisper than it is (seems intentional though).

✅ 🎵 “Nobody’s Love”, an advance single, is naturally elevated to the top tier of JORDI given its familiarity.  Furthermore, compared to the records we didn’t know prior to hearing the album, it’s more well-rounded, period.  Worth noting, there are 10 songwriters… lots of ‘cooks in the kitchen.’ From a production standpoint, “Nobody’s Love” is successful (The Monsters & Strangerz, 🎛 German, 🎛 Ryan OG, and 🎛 B Ham). The backdrop is pleasant and quite beautiful, perhaps the biggest selling point of the song. As for Adam, he sings well, but you don’t leave totally wowed per se.

 “Can’t Leave You Alone”

Keeping things modern, we get a posthumous 🎙 Juice WRLD feature on 🎵 “Can’t Leave You Alone.”  That is perhaps the biggest selling point with Juice sounding true to self in his emo, melodic rap style.  There’s no new ground broken but the record’s okay.  Familiar pays off once more on ✅ 🎵 “Memories” (on the deluxe edition only) which was released as a single back in 2019.  The chorus remains potent on this song penned “for anyone who has ever experienced loss”:

“Here’s to the ones that we got
Cheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
Of everything we’ve been through...”

On the verses, Adam remains reflective, using the loss and memories of loved one to become a better person.  “When I felt all of the hatred was too powerful to stop,” he sings on the second verse, he adds, “Now my heart feels like an ember and it’s lighting up the dark / I’ll carry these torches for ya that you know I’ll never drop.” Musically, the backdrop is simple but effective, placing more weight on Levine’s vocals and most of all, the lyrics and the reflective, remembering theme of the song itself.  On the standard edition of the album, only 🎵 “Memories Remix,” featuring 🎙 Nipsey Hussle and 🎙 YG, appears (it caps things off as the 11^th track).  The remix, honestly, is underwhelming, surprisingly not eclipsing the original.

“Button”

For those who splurge (or simply stream the deluxe), in addition to the original version of “Memories,” JORDI (deluxe) adds two energetic cuts. 🎵 “Button” brings some infectious, Latin vibes into the mix.  Furthermore, Maroon 5 taps Latin standouts 🎙 Anuel AA and 🎙 Tainy.  The results are – wait for it – respectable.  Finally, 🎵 “Lifestyle” concludes, courtesy of 🎙 Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine. Is “Lifestyle” magical’? No. Derulo sounds good but doesn’t bring anything new to the table.  Levine sounds good but likewise, doesn’t bring anything new to the table.  The sound of the record is enjoyable enough but there’s nothing particularly new that stands out.  It’s merely okay.

Final Thoughts 💭 

As stated earlier, JORDI, things feel very predictable, unmemorable, and clearly missing the punch the band once had.  There are some good songs on the album, but none of them stack up to Maroon 5’s classics.  Furthermore, JORDI, for all its production sheen and gloss, often lacks distinction and worse, suffers from subpar songwriting.  Yes, Adam Levine continues to sing well, but the material he’s singing, and the band is performing is mediocre at best.

✅ Gems 💎: “Beautiful Mistakes,” “Convince Me Otherwise,” “Nobody’s Love” & “Memories”

🎙 Maroon 5 • 💿 JORDI • 🏷 Interscope • 🗓 6.14.21

[📷: Interscope]