This Love (Live, Acoustic) – Maroon 5
Maroon 5. Man. What a turn these guys took. Songs About Jane is still and will forever be one of my favorite albums of all time, and Adam Levine has one of the coolest voices out there. The move they have made from a rock band with pop sensibilities into a pop outfit focused on radio playability is one of the most interesting arcs of a band, I think. I understand bands evolve and I love that; I really enjoy when bands experiment with new sounds, but most bands retain at least a semblance of their identity while it seems that Maroon 5 totally abandoned theirs. Am I calling them sell-outs? No, I get it; I’m sure they weep over my critiques and wipe their tears with their millions of dollars. Why wouldn’t they pursue a more radio-friendly sound? I didn’t even mean for this to come off as criticism, more so as an observation. Any who.
I chose to feature an acoustic rendition of “This Love” from Songs About Jane that was included on their outstanding acoustic EP entitled 1.22.03. It is a live recording that they made at The Hit Factory in NYC about six months after Songs About Jane was released. It came down to “This Love” and “Harder to Breathe,” with the latter being the edgier of the two, but I think “This Love” showcases a lot more, with prominent piano and percussion. I do wholeheartedly endorse listening to the EP in its entirety, though; there is a great cover of the Beatles‘ “If I Fell” on there and a not-so-great cover of “Highway to Hell,” but their different takes on their own songs are the coolest part to me.
My Taste in Music 
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