Maroon 5, 'Overexposed' -- Album Review

The fourth studio album from Los Angeles pop-rock band, Maroon 5 hit stores on June 26^th. The big question that has been on the minds of fans is, "Will 'Overexposed' live up to the success of 'Hands All Over' and the bands big single 'Moves Like Jagger'?" It wasn't until the band re-released 'Hands All Over' with 'Moves Like Jagger' as a new single that the album took off and started selling. The general consensus after hearing the first single, 'Payphone' featuring Wiz Khalifa, is that Maroon 5 hasn't missed a beat.

'Overexposed' has a well-balanced mix of slow songs and pop-driven songs. It's rare to find a band that can split an album into two sounds and still maintain the uniqueness of who they are as a whole. The album starts out with high energy, slows down in the middle, then gradually picks up all the way to the end. Maroon 5 even pays tribute to Prince by covering the 1986 single from Prince & The Revolution, 'Kiss'.

'Overexposed' is definitely more pop-driven than the past albums from Maroon 5, which is to be expected. After the huge success that 'Moves Like Jagger' had with a very pop-driven sound, it would only make sense that Maroon 5 keeps riding that wave of success. Songs like 'Payphone', 'One More Night', and 'Doin' Dirt' hit hard and provide high energy to the album that gets listeners to crave more. On the flip side, songs like 'Daylight', 'Lady Killer', and 'Sad' slow things down and give fans a taste of Maroon 5 when they first started off in 2002 with their debut album, 'Songs About Jane'. The band even experiments with a touch of reggae in a few of their songs.

With the release of the bands second single from the album, 'One More Night', and the video for the song being released on the same day as the album release, Maroon 5 is at the top of their game. The platinum success of 'Payphone' and 'Moves Like Jagger' suggest that 'One More Night' will be following suit, helping 'Overexposed' and Maroon 5 stay towards the top of the charts.
Check out the official track list below:

1. One More Night
2. Payphone (feat. Wiz Khalifa)
3. Daylight
4. Lucky Strike
5. The Man Who Never Lied
6. Love Somebody
7. Ladykiller
8. Fortune Teller
9. Sad
10. Tickets
11. Doin' Dirt
12. Beautiful Goodbye
13. Wipe Your Eyes
14. Wasted Years
15. Kiss

'Overexposed' is available in stores and on digital outlets now. Fans can hear the bands single, 'Payphone' (feat. Wiz Khalifa), on AOL Radio's New Pop First.