On The Download: Maroon 5’s ‘Hands All Over’

Maroon 5 really knows what they’re good at. After all, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, right? “Hands All Over,” the third album from the Grammy-award winning quintet from Los Angeles, is a 12 -track set of funky, polished, pop perfection.

This time around, the group got in the studio with Robert “Mutt” Lange — the super-producer who crafted hits for Shania Twain and AC/DC. The result is a record full of the catchy, sexy up-tempo songs that Maroon 5 is known for, but also has the group venturing into uncharted territory — even dueting with country ‘it’ group Lady Antebellum on one track.

“Hands All Over” picks up right where their last album, “Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” left off. Adam Levine and company delves into their tales of love, lust, seduction and desire only like Maroon 5 can. The first single, “Misery,” has all of the qualities that made “This Love” and “Makes Me Wonder” huge hits for the band.

The funky, disco-infused “Give A Little More” is one of the album’s slickest cuts, with Levine’s signature falsetto mixing perfectly with the record’s funky baseline. “Stutter” is another of the band’s tales of romantic obsession, in which Levine sings about a “fantasy girl” and how she takes up all of his thoughts and can hardly speak.

There is a retro, almost Motown-inspired feel to “Don’t Know Nothing,” with Levine’s “ooohs” echoing against the piano in the background. Fans who loved “She Will Be Loved” will find “Never Leave This Bed” equally enchanting and this one would make a smart choice for a follow up second single and video. Though most of the album is upbeat, Maroon 5 reminds us how good they are at ballads on “Just a Feeling,” a song about all the emotions which ensue when a relationship unravels.

Possibly the most charming Maroon 5 track EVER is the swinging “I Can’t Lie.” I can already hear this one playing in the trailer of a romantic comedy!

This album also features the group going out of their comfort zone… but not too far. Most notably, the group trades in some of their R&B grooves for an ‘80s rock vibe on the title track of the album, which is undoubtedly a product of Mutt’s influence.

The album closes with “Out of Goodbyes,” the band’s first foray into country music. At first, I couldn’t imagine Adam Levine’s vocals in a country song, but he and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott complement each other’s styles nicely.

The Deluxe Edition of the CD includes the bonus track “No Curtain Call,” a few acoustic versions of songs on the album and even an impressive live cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.”

“Hands All Over” is out now.

— Anthony Ramos