Maroon 5's sophomore album marked by compromise

Posted October 11, 200717 yr

Sometimes the dough has to stay in the oven a little bit longer than recommended in order to cook to perfection.

After nearly five years since the release of their multiplatinum debut, "Songs About Jane," Maroon 5 is making headlines once again with a well-crafted and delectably poppy sophomore album.

The band was determined to avoid the sophomore slump, and constructively argued and clawed its way through the making of "It Won't Be Soon Before Long."

"I think that we're all really happy with the compromises that we made," said lead singer and guitarist Adam Levine in a recent teleconference. "If we didn't have different opinions, we'd be in a lot of trouble."

Throughout the album's production, the Los Angeles-based quintet battled back and forth, debating whether to infuse more R&B elements or more of a raw rock vibe. With both aspects being so critical to the identity of the band, the decisions were far from easy.

"There was obviously a lot of debate, and it would be on a song-per-song basis, and then there would be these sort of shifting alliances of who wanted what on each song," said guitarist James Valentine. "Me and Matt Flynn, the drummer, were always on the side of, 'Let's try and keep it as raw as possible.' And with [bassist]Mickey [Madden] and [keyboardist] Jesse [Carmichael], it would just depend on the song."

Ultimately, the band was able to deliver an album that still spotlights Levine's flirtatious vocals, while incorporating a more forthright, up-tempo rhythm. The first single, "Makes Me Wonder" pinpoints these subtle, yet noticeable, changes.

Behind some of these changes is cherished producer and current co-chairman of Columbia Records, Rick Rubin. Rubin, who has worked with everyone from the Beastie Boys to Justin Timberlake to the Dixie Chicks, let the band into his California mansion to play around with their newest material.

It was a pleasant experience for the guys minus the ghosts. Rubin lives in the former house of Harry Houdini, which is rumored to have some rather angry spirits still floating around within its walls.

"[The rumors] definitely kept me away from the house when I wasn't working, because of the strange spiritual goings on," laughed Levine. "I didn't care to have any encounters--that's why I wasn't there very often."

Valentine, on the other hand, often lacked a place to stay in the L.A. area and frequented Rubin's mansion. One evening he was graced with a taste of the supernatural.

"One night I saw a figure walking up the stairs when there was nobody else in the house except for my girlfriend at the time," said Valentine. "I was so certain that I'd seen someone that I called out to this thing and then went up to the room that it had walked into. There was nobody there. I don't know how to explain it, but that's what I saw."

After a five-year hiatus, grueling span of album production, and an encounter with the unknown, Maroon 5 seems more than ready for their current three-month international tour. The band will make a stop at the Verizon Center next Tuesday.

"We really want [our shows] to be straightforward," said Levine. "We don't want there to be too many bells and whistles because we don't want to detract from the music. That's obviously really important to us. We're going to stretch out our show a little bit and do things that we didn't do last time."

Now with a second album in the holster, Maroon 5 has the firepower to further their respect as a stellar live act.

"When you have one album, you really need to spread it," said Levine. "Now that we have twice as much material, I think that we're going to really be able to diversify the way the set comes off live. I can't wait. It's going to be a thousand times better than our first tour."

BY JESSE SCOTT