Caroline Sullivan 

Maroon 5 review – undeniable pop melodies but no rough edges

Despite Adam Levine’s yearning vocals and a tight rhythm section, this all-conquering band are a generic live proposition, writes Caroline Sullivan
  
  

Affable … Adam Levine and Maroon 5 at the Roundhouse in London.
Affable … Adam Levine and Maroon 5 at the Roundhouse in London. Photograph: Rob Ball/WireImage Photograph: Rob Ball/WireImage

How did Maroon 5 become so big that the title of their last album, Overexposed, was less hyperbole than simple statement of fact? The short answer is that their 2011 single Moves Like Jagger was so hypnotically catchy that 14 million people bought it – but that doesn’t quite explain how these affable Californians have surpassed equally tight pop-funk outfits to reach the pinnacle.

Even allowing for the fact that this short iTunes-sponsored gig doesn’t let them bring out the bells and whistles that would accompany their full-length show, Maroon 5 are a pretty generic live proposition. As musicians, the sextet – expanded to seven on-stage, with the addition of a chap at the back making inaudible beats on a sampler – can’t be faulted: the songs are powered by a rhythm section as tight as a soul revue’s, and keyboard fills inspired by Billy Preston’s futuristic 1970s funk. Singer Adam Levine, moreover, has perfect pitch: his yearning delivery forms a particularly happy marriage with their undeniable pop melodies. Covering Gym Class Heroes’ Stereo Hearts, on which he was featured vocalist, he adds an extra layer of beseeching desire that makes the song one of the set’s prime moments.

All this would be terrific, in an agreeably Chili Peppersish way, if there were just some dirt or rough edges in the group’s performance – something that lit a fire under them as they turned out pristine versions of Jagger and their most recent No 1, One More Night. Imagine how Prince, say, would have mischievously vamped up Sunday Morning’s wistful jazz-funk, let alone the Police-esque reggae of new single Maps. Meanwhile Levine, who was decreed sexiest man on the planet by People magazine, turns out to be anything but: drinking tea “to show respect for the English”, he’s more good egg than priapic sexpot. So how exactly did they achieve “overexposure”? This show provides no answers.

 

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