The B-Side Collection

*The B-Side Collection* gathers seven tracks that didn’t make the final cut for the original release of Maroon 5’s sophomore album, *It Won’t Be Soon Before Long*. These tunes sound as catchy and fully realized as anything on the band’s earlier official albums. Singer and chief songwriter Adam Levine again demonstrates his nearly effortless mastery of modern pop and R&B motifs, interweaving touches of Prince, The Police, and Al Green into a pleasing whole. The opening number, “Miss You Love You,” sums up much of Maroon 5’s appeal with its melancholy-tinged melody, assertive guitars, and solid rock bottom. “Miss You Love You” is spurred on by an insistent Latinized beat, while “Until You’re Over Me” tickles its old-school soul groove with jittery riffage. The conflicted balladry of “Losing My Mind” conveys some of the bruised tenderness that made “She Will Be Loved” a signature hit. The zesty and eminently hummable “The Way I Was” finds contrast in the angular funk lines of “Figure It Out.” The closing track, “Infatuation,” showcases Levine’s seductive falsetto, as well as some tasty wah-wah guitar licks.