V is Maroon 5's fifth studio album. Recorded in LA over the past year with producers Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder, Shellback and Sam Martin, V features the return of M5’s original keyboardist Jesse Carmichael to the fold, rejoining frontman Adam Levine, guitarist James Valentine, bassist Mickey Madden, drummer/percussionist Matt Flynn, and keyboardist PJ Morton after a two-year hiatus. Maroon 5’s latest provides a sonic summation of the group’s journey to date – capturing the essence of the earliest M5 hits through to their most recent successes, as well as providing a picture of its artistic growth into the future.
- 14-track Jewel case deluxe version
Review
It wasn't noted much at the time, but founding keyboardist Jesse Carmichael
sat out Maroon 5's 2012 album Overexposed – a circumstance that just
happened to coincide with Adam Levine capitalizing on his Voice-fueled stardom.
Overexposed and over-filled with guest producers and songwriters drafted to
compensate for the absent Carmichael, rapper Wiz Khalifa, reliable Swedish
hitmakers Max Martin & Shellback, and icy OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder
gave the group a steely sleekness to suit contemporary charts. Some of this is
retained on V, the 2014 record that marks Carmichael's return to the group,
partially because all those guests save Khalifa return for a second helping. The
absence of the rapper suggests Maroon 5 aren't quite as concerned with sounding
youthful as they were last time around, which is generally true. Some tracks
maintain the glossy veneer that overwhelmed Overexposed – not entirely a
surprise with Martin billed as the record's executive producer – and,
despite some unnecessary vocal processing on Levine scattered throughout the
record, these are largely the ones featuring returning guests: Tedder co-writes
and co-produces the album's lead single, “Maps,” a song where
Levine's Sting mannerisms steamroll the hooks," while Shellback helms
“Animals,” “In Your Pocket,” and “Feelings,” with all but the last
placing emphasis on brittle beats. Elsewhere, the vibe shifts slightly back to
the soulful pop that's remained at Maroon 5's core since the beginning, here
given an ever so slight maturation to balance the modern moves heard on the rest
of the record. Sometimes, the group achieves a delicate balance between the two
extremes – “It Was Always You,” “New Love,” and the aforementioned
“Feelings” – but the best moments on V are when Maroon 5 embrace the
tuneful, slightly soulful adult contemporary pop band they've always been, as
they do on “Sugar,” “Coming Back for You,” and the Gwen Stefani duet
“My Heart Is Open.” [The Deluxe Edition contains three bonus tracks, two off
which are the project's most distinctive moments: a slow-jam remake of Marcy
Playground's “Sex and Candy” and Levine's solo “Lost Stars,” co-written
by Gregg Alexander.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine – Allmusic.com