There are very few Maroon 5 singles that I don’t like, but their new single, “Don’t Wanna Know”, is one of them. I’m all for artists who evolve in their sound and try new things. I’d rather see an artist do that than get stuck in the “winning formula” and never try anything else. However, for me, key is that an artist is true to their main ingredients. If they don’t, they’d better make sure it’s for a soundtrack or a themed album.
When I listen to Maroon 5’s “Don’t Wanna Know”, I actually don’t hear Maroon 5 anymore. I hear a bit of Justin Bieber or any other pop artist, but not the rock pop soul group they’ve been up to this point. And adding a little bit of tropical dance would’ve been an amazing move if the track were really good, but … nah. I wouldn’t have been listening to it in full if it weren’t Maroon 5.
You’d have to keep in mind that it’s been a year since Maroon 5 released a single, so I’m also weighing out against whether it was worth the wait.
I’m not too keen on writing bad reviews. I tent to skip tracks I don’t like and rather write about a song or a topic that is more interesting, but maybe this is my plea to Maroon 5 to return to their better songwriting moments very quickly.
Usually when artists become parents, they become very serious for a moment and start to reflect their ways. I think Adam, lead singer and, just recently, first time dad, just had his priorities elsewhere and the band (or label) decided to just look for the most commercial sound right now. I just hope this is not the case for the whole upcoming album.
Enough bad things though, I’m glad the guys are back.
