1.22.03.Acoustic by Maroon 5
Then: I've always liked live acoustic versions of songs, deliberately seeking them out and downloading them. What is the song like at its core, stripped of its bells and whistles? What is the artist like when deprived of the luxury of autotune and multiple takes?
I don't remember exactly when I got 1.22.03.Acoustic, only that it was several years after its release. Perhaps I learned about it when browsing Wikipedia, or perhaps I found it on Youtube. Perhaps I was inspired to plumb Maroon 5's discography after watching a well-choreographed dance to “Secret.” Who knows?
Now: In my last post I expressed a preference for Maroon 5's demos rather than the full production releases. Too much instrumentation and slick effects covered up the cores of the songs. Quite pleasingly, the nature of 1.22.03.Acoustic strips the songs back to their cores again, even if it also reveals some flaws.
Adam Levine isn't the most skilled singer in the world; he loses control during a vocal descent in “This Love” and somehow manages to quietly screech flat notes during a cover of “If I Fell.” (If it hadn't been so painful to my ears, I would have been quite impressed at the improbable feat.) But the display of Adam's weaknesses also tells me the strengths are real as well, and are not the product of production. There's the simmering anger of “Harder To Breathe” that he's able to convey without yelling, and the intimacy of “She Will Be Loved” that makes the audience feel included rather than excluded.
Kudos to Ryan Dusick as well, who sings on the cover of “Highway to Hell.” He's quite a passable vocalist and should come out from behind the drums more often.
