Though most of you reading this blog may know of Maroon 5’s collaborations with other artists for popular tunes like “Moves Like Jagger” and “Payphone,” much of Adam Levine’s solo work in other genres is hard to find. The 2011 Gym Class Heroes’ hit “Stereo Hearts” wonderfully showed off Adam’s artistic ability, but this was yet another pop song [1]. As I have stated in previous posts, Adam Levine has been known to study various genres of music including R&B and even folk [2]. Through my years of searching for everything Maroon 5 I could find, I have discovered several songs featuring Adam Levine and his many talents that I think you readers might enjoy!
The first song I would like to discuss today is a more well-known hit called “Heard ‘Em Say.” The song was actually released as a hip-hop/ rap song on Kanye West’s album Late Registration in 2005 [1]. The strange duo first met when Maroon 5 hired West to remix their hit single “This Love.” Then, after Levine and West shared music demos on a plane ride to the MTV Europe Music Awards, they decided to combine music styles [3]. The song perfectly mixes West’s rap style with Adam’s soulful voice, featuring Adam singing the chorus of “Nothing Lasts Forever” from the Maroon 5 album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long in between phrases [1]. The track is great for anyone who loves pop or rap, and its smooth rhythm is great for relaxation.
The next song is perhaps the strangest artist combination of today’s selections. “Gotten” is a song actually listed under the genre of rock, and it was released in 2010 by Slash, the famous guitarist of Guns N’ Roses [1,4]. The track is actually a mix of one of Slash’s previous songs from his solo album of the same year overlapped with Adam Levine’s vocals. This is an extremely heartfelt piece that is calmer than one might think a rocker like Slash would create. However, what makes this song truly great is that both the audio and video were made to raise awareness for homeless teens in Los Angeles, and the proceeds from the collaboration actually benefit the Los Angeles Youth Foundation. Take a listen to the song, and if you are interested check out http://slashonline.com/gotten/ [4].
Last but not least is my favorite of today’s three song choices: the song “Heavy” off of Maroon 5’s stand-in keyboardist PJ Morton’s album New Orleans [1]. This song features both Adam Levine on vocals and extremely talented Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine and is the perfect combination of funk and soul [5]. The incredibly catchy back beat that will get anyone dancing, and the contrast of Adam’s and PJ’s voices makes the track a paradise for your senses. This wonderful R&B/ soul record brightens my day every time I hear it, and I hope it will do the same for you [1]!
Citations:
- Song dates,genres, and album names found in info section in iTunes
- http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457217/maroon-5-want-make-cry.jhtml
- http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511892/kanye-kids-run-amok-surreal-macys-new-clip.jhtml
- http://slashonline.com/gotten/
- http://www.examiner.com/article/maroon-5-s-pj-morton-releases-ep-featuring-adam-levine-and-james-valentine
Great read! I always enjoy Adam Levine vocally, and he makes a great judge on the Voice. I never knew he is able to sing songs from other genres and he does a great job doing so! He is definitely a talented artist who I can listen to.