In its first week out Maroon 5’s sophomore album made it’s debut on the #1 spot in the Billboard Albums Chart selling over 430,000 copies. This album has been a long time coming, five years from their first album to be exact. They were faced with a daunting task which was to follow up a multi-platinum Grammy winning first album and avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. To achieve this they worked with a number of producers and took their time. Avoiding the mellow sounds of their first album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is more upbeat taking influences from the likes of The Police. The track, A Little of Your Time, even has a nod to the keyboard from ‘Hey Ya’ made popular by OutKast. So many different producers and influences one would begin to worry that their album would be all over the place but the album is well put together. Listen to ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ to hear a verse from Adam’s collaboration with Kanye West in the song, Heard ‘Em Say.
Overall this album is a great follow up from “Songs About Jane” with a completely different sound with the only thing identifiable being Adam Levine’s voice. Maroon 5 proves that sophomore slumps aren’t for them and that they won a Grammy for a reason. If you haven’t already, go out and buy their album. In no time will their sophomore be certified gold selling at least 500,000 copies.
