Dear Maroon 5,

Hi. You don’t know me, but I know you. Well, not directly. I’ve been a fan for years, though. Your songs were my middle school jams, and I was always Team Adam when I watched “The Voice.” I even did a project over you guys for my seventh grade Computers class. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

I wish I could say I was still a fan, but things have changed. It all started around when you released “Payphone.” My hopes were high for your next album … until I heard “One More Night.” I remember thinking that this was not the Maroon 5 I used to be obsessed with, but instead just another band who can make cookie-cutter pop music. But, I didn’t lose all hope. I listened to “Daylight,” and I was still unimpressed. “Love Somebody” came along, and the deal was all but sealed – I didn’t consider myself a Maroon 5 fan anymore.

Now you recently released a fifth album, “V.” I heard the first single, “Maps,” one day, and I didn’t even recognize it was a Maroon 5 song until I later saw it on the internet. As I listen to the rest of the album while writing this, I echo the same sentiments. You guys just don’t sound like yourselves anymore, and it really bothers me.

I understand that musicians are supposed to evolve. Listening to the same stuff gets boring after a while, and change is almost always good. However, I don’t think you’re changing in the right direction. Isn’t Maroon 5 supposed to be a pop rock band? The pop rock band? Lately, your music just sounds like pop vocals backed by a generic electronic track. Whatever happened to everything on “Songs About Jane” and “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”? Do you even use guitars and bass anymore? Are Adam’s vocals still real? Lately, it just seems like you’re completely different, and all I want is the jazzy-yet-catchy pop rock band that made emotional songs like “She Will Be Loved” and singalong hits like “Makes Me Wonder.”

So, I guess I’m just asking you to stop changing. I was content with the old Maroon 5, and now I can barely stand listening to your new music. I really want to still be a fan, but if things keep going the way they’ve been going, I don’t know if that can happen.

Sincerely,

The Music Man
Justin Curto