Album Review: Maroon 5, "Live Friday the 13th"

The optimist might answer that the band must be taking its time to deliver something really special with its second studio CD. Everyone else might reckon that the well that produced the memorable melodies on "Songs About Jane" has likely run dry and the record label knows it. Either way, the DVD/CD "Live Friday the 13th," which follows the concert-EP "1.22.03.Acoustic," translates into a poor way to buy time between studio offerings. Maroon 5's weaknesses--of which there are many--are only magnified on the generous, 75-minute live set. And, more significantly, the band seems to play against its own strengths on the record. Instead of laying it down straight, Maroon 5 tries to charm the Dave Matthews Band crowd by stretching out such selections as "She Will Be Loved" and "The Sun." But Maroon 5 is no Dave Matthews Band. Maroon 5 is at its best when it sticks to an orderly pop framework--and at its absolute worst when it tries to improvise, jam or rock out. Recorded at the Santa Barbara Bowl, "Live Friday the 13th" finds the band reshaping such radio-friendly tunes as "Shiver" and "Harder to Breathe" in rough, very unfriendly manners. Just how ill-suited Maroon 5 is for this task is made blatantly clear on the band's weak cover version of Oasis' "Hello." The Gallagher boys would surely want to brawl over Maroon 5's take on that once-great track. Still, one has to give the band credit for choosing an appropriate title; not since Jason last stalked promiscuous campers has there been a more frightful Friday the 13th than this recording.