Maroon 5, Hands All Over (The Asian Tour Edition, 2011)

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I missed Maroon 5's concert in Manila this year, so just like with Sting, I did the next best thing: I bought a copy of the band's latest studio album Hands All Over (Asian Tour edition). This is my first ever Maroon 5 album. I guess Adam Levine's judging duties in The Voice (Season 1 is being aired in the Philippines at the moment) reminded me, during each episode of the show, to buy the band's album.

Hands All Over, for me, is the perfect musical pick-me-up on difficult drives. The songs are catchy and radio-friendly. Plus, each song is distinguishable; it's not like listening to one very long song from track 1 all the way to the end.

For the past two days, the weather's been gloomy because of Typhoon Nesat. On the day it made landfall (coincidentally), I decided to give Hands All Over a road test. I found that the songs are upbeat; listening to these songs allowed me to enjoy avoiding debris littered on the road as the typhoon's strong winds approached. Imagine listening to the acoustic version of Misery while doubling back on a steep hairpin turn because a fallen tree has completely blocked the mountain road you're driving on. Or dodging branches and electric wires while in the background, Adam Levine sings,

"I'm never gonna leave this bed"

Perfect, right?

Aside from inclement weather conditions, I find that Hands All Over is a nice companion in late night drives too. Give a Little More's catchy dance tune keeps me wide awake while I travel at night, with nobody to talk with on the trip. Stutter also keeps me on my toes because of the rhythm. Repetitions in the lyrics of the songs are also infectious... I definitely won't fall asleep behind the wheel.

"Take it, take it all, take all that I have                  "Why do you do what you do to me, yeah?
I'd give it all away just to get you back                  Why won't you answer me, answer me, yeah?
And fake it, fake it, I'll take what I can get             Why do you do what you do to me, yeah?
Knocking so loud, can you hear me yet?"             Why won't you answer me, answer me, yeah?"

"Put your hands all over                         "I'm not falling in love with ya, I'm not falling in love
Put your hands all over me                     I'm not falling in love with ya, I'm not falling in love
Put your hands all over                           'Til I get a little more from you, baby
Put your hands all over"                         Get a little more from you, baby"

"It's just a feeling, just a feeling that I have
Just a feeling, just a feeling that I have
'Cause it's just a feeling, just a feeling, just a feeling
(I can't believe that it's over)"

I don't know how it came up, but while listening to the album, I keep remembering Queen's Freddie Mercury and Frank Sinatra. Maybe it's because the songs are mainly smooth love songs but they're presented with a rock vibe. Or maybe, the guitar bits of the title single, Hands Over Me, reminded me of We Are the Champions. Thus, I was really, but pleasantly, surprised to find out on my first listen that the band has included in the album covers of Crazy Little Thing Called Love and The Way You Look Tonight as bonus tracks. I didn't notice these two songs in the list when I first opened the CD.

Because I enjoyed Maroon 5's Hands All Over album, it has definitely joined my driving playlist (which now proves to be an eclectic mix).

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