V
by Maroon 5
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 169 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 169
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 169
  3. Negative: 47 out of 169
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  1. AGK
    Jun 14, 2015
    2
    This is basically a repeat of their previous album. They're still whinny as crap, the lyrics relate to all their other songs and it's just not enjoyable at all! (at least for me) music is doomed if this is considered good these days!
  2. Sil3nt
    Jun 11, 2015
    1
    Horrible ! This is like listening to radio song after song. Every single track is a mainstream effort. Plastic, Unreal, Surface works and a **** pop disaster. the band has always tried to spawn hits so the result is any album is a massive overproduction, confusion and an electropop that cause headache. I agtee the record carrys good songs like Sugar or Animals but they are good to listenHorrible ! This is like listening to radio song after song. Every single track is a mainstream effort. Plastic, Unreal, Surface works and a **** pop disaster. the band has always tried to spawn hits so the result is any album is a massive overproduction, confusion and an electropop that cause headache. I agtee the record carrys good songs like Sugar or Animals but they are good to listen once. An album full of these hits is so bad. Lifting no artistry this an absolute ****… Expand
  3. Queen4Life
    Sep 7, 2014
    9
    I find V to be a very underrated album as all the songs connected with me in one way or another in a relatively new and fresh way, especially if you like Maroon 5 which I do. I think critics attempt to compare every Maroon 5 album with Songs About Jane and that simply can't be done when they've taken such a new direction. Yes, It's disappointing that the band has become so Adam LevineI find V to be a very underrated album as all the songs connected with me in one way or another in a relatively new and fresh way, especially if you like Maroon 5 which I do. I think critics attempt to compare every Maroon 5 album with Songs About Jane and that simply can't be done when they've taken such a new direction. Yes, It's disappointing that the band has become so Adam Levine centred but the crisp and elevated level of the music can't be ignored.… Expand
  4. H_Potato
    Sep 10, 2014
    10
    I love this album!No matter Maps/My Heart Is Open/Leaving California!But I also think they need more changes,like coldplay~wish best seller!!!The voice in Lost Star is awesome!
  5. NolanLundgaard
    Mar 25, 2020
    5
    V by Maroon 5: 4.66

    Maps: 1 :) Animals: 1 :) It Was Always You: 1 :) Unkiss Me: 0.75 Sugar: 1 :) Leaving California: 0.5 In Your Pocket: 0.5 New Love: 0.5 Coming Back For You: 1 :) Feelings: 1 My Heart Is Open: 0.25 This Summer: 0 Shoot Love: 0.75 Sex and Candy: 0 Lost Stars: 1 :) 10.25/15 ~ .683 -> 4.66 Not a horrible album, but definitely falls short of Maroon    V by Maroon 5: 4.66

    Maps: 1 :)
    Animals: 1 :)
    It Was Always You: 1 :)
    Unkiss Me: 0.75
    Sugar: 1 :)
    Leaving California: 0.5
    In Your Pocket: 0.5
    New Love: 0.5
    Coming Back For You: 1 :)
    Feelings: 1
    My Heart Is Open: 0.25
    This Summer: 0
    Shoot Love: 0.75
    Sex and Candy: 0
    Lost Stars: 1 :)

    10.25/15 ~ .683 -> 4.66

    Not a horrible album, but definitely falls short of Maroon 5’s previous efforts such as Songs About Jane and Overexposed. Some songs are really good, but the lyric writing has taken a steep downhill, This Summer especially has a huge problem with this. Seems like Maroon 5 only wrote this song as an excuse to say the F-word 100 million times in the duration of 4 minutes. A lot of the songs are also super electronic, which I don’t really understand because Maroon 5 had so much success in their first couple albums. On the other hand, there are some gems in V, such as Maps, Lost Stars, and It Was Always You, it just depends on the song. V has its fair share of winners and stinkers, which brings down its overall score, though it’s still in the green. Highlights: Maps, Animals, It Was Always You, Sugar, Coming Back For You, Feelings, and Lost Stars.    … Expand
  6. JBBotes
    Sep 2, 2014
    10
    Awesome album. if you like Maroon 5 you will love this album. They always come out with some new and fresh. The critics say it is not catching tunes, then why do the songs get stuck in my head? Just like Hands All Over, the more I listen to the album the more I like it. I like the retro feel of the album and the honest lyrics. Maroon 5 is just awesome.
  7. donkeykong72
    Sep 2, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is an overall better album than overexposed. Unkiss me, New love, Sugar and My heart is Open are very good songs. In your pocket , s*x and candy are rather forgettable songs, but that is about it. Overall a very good album.… Expand
  8. ListenClose
    Sep 2, 2014
    3
    This album is A Disappointment, and a Massive one at that. The Album is comparable to "Overexposed" Maroon 5's 4th Album, which offered very little directions and the lyrics seemed shallow and played it safe rather than taking risks. "V" Maroon 5's 5th album basically repeats the characteristics of its predecessor, but does offer a few new directions. Nevertheless, It should be titledThis album is A Disappointment, and a Massive one at that. The Album is comparable to "Overexposed" Maroon 5's 4th Album, which offered very little directions and the lyrics seemed shallow and played it safe rather than taking risks. "V" Maroon 5's 5th album basically repeats the characteristics of its predecessor, but does offer a few new directions. Nevertheless, It should be titled "Overexposed Part 2"

    Here's a list of Some Pros in the album:

    1.) THE ALBUM IS NOT AN ENTIRE BUST:
    While the producers and writers who worked on "Overexposed" Worked on "V" It may seem as if the Album would completely follow in the footsteps of "V"s predecessor. Most of it does, but some songs stand out. "Coming Back for you" would be the only thing close to the Old Maroon 5 sound, but that's about it and the Levine and Stefani duet "My Heart is Open" Is a perfectly balanced ballad that is sure to get you emotional.

    2.) BLEND OF A TOP 40 MAINSTREAM RADIO
    While Pop is on the ropes these days, Maroon 5 does have a tendency to create a pop song that can suit even the most hostile pop haters. While pop consists of Boops and bops, Maroon 5 can change the formula to Please fans of every pop sound or genre they're in.

    The Cons of the Album:

    1.) SHALLOW LYRICS:
    The lyrics sound like that they're above the "Safe Level" and more of a "Straight to the point" sound then rather have a "Deep, storytelling or situational" Meaning to/or behind the lyrics. "I like to think that we had it all / We drew a map to a better place / But on that road I took a fall / Oh baby why did you run away?" is not as impressive as "I was so high I did not recognize / The fire burning in her eyes / The chaos that controlled my mind / Whispered goodbye and she got on a plane / Never to return again / But always in my heart" "This Love" has more of a Darker, deep and situational feel to it while "Maps" has more of a straight love vibe to it, which consists of little to no effort.

    2.) TACKY PRODUCTION
    Most of the Tracks on "V' Have a Electronic pop to its sound, and not the good vibe as "It was Always You" "Sugar" sounds like a Katy Perry "Birthday" Ripoff, "Feelings" sounds like a cluttered mess and the hook sounds like something out of an 8-bit Nintendo game. Lastly, "S*X and candy" is slowed down into a creepy and slow song that will bore you to the point where you want to return the CD back to the store. The sound is completely maimed to a point where it's a tacky and over-danceable album.

    Summary: "V" Is inconsistent from top to bottom. While it sounds like a solid Pop album,the production renders it un-listeneable and makes you unsatisfied in the presence of its sound. Pass on the Album while you can.    … Expand
  9. asjklasjklas
    Sep 2, 2014
    4
    V—which makes a 'vague' indication that this Adam Levine, erm, Maroon 5's fifth studio album—has hooks and it has repetition of said hooks, that's not polished production, in my opinion. Even more so than their previous 2012 album Overexposure, which Levine has said was their "poppiest record to date", Max Martin, Shellback, Levine, and the dozens of other writers—rarely the band membersV—which makes a 'vague' indication that this Adam Levine, erm, Maroon 5's fifth studio album—has hooks and it has repetition of said hooks, that's not polished production, in my opinion. Even more so than their previous 2012 album Overexposure, which Levine has said was their "poppiest record to date", Max Martin, Shellback, Levine, and the dozens of other writers—rarely the band members themselves—make no attempt at creating a memorable hit-single. The second single, "Animals", is ridiculously catchy. That's it though. It's as if it was only tailored for that Kia Soul commercial and nothing more. It's not a memorable pop moment, it's a satisfying one. There's a difference.

    As executive producer, Max Martin must've exerted more energy into making number-one hits for Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Taylor Swift. Because with V, it literally sounds like Levine and Martin just said, "Eh, we'll settle on a good radio song or 2. We're just satisfying our record label, anyway," which makes V lazy even by the laziest of standards. And what's with the excessive Auto-Tune? Levine has a hit-or-miss vocal range, sure, but I haven't heard of him sending any live audiences to the ear doctor. And don't say it's for "artistic reasons", the production doesn't even call for it.

    To sum it all up, if you were expecting Adam Levine & the Scene (I'm sorry, I had to) to return to their glory days of actually sounding like a band intent on crafting pop gold like they did on Songs About Jane, Levine and his pick-up lines aren't even remotely interested in flirting with those expectations.    … Expand
  10. cyanide1
    Sep 2, 2014
    9
    I am surprised at how much I like this album. It's not just good, it's really good. The duet with Gwen written by Sia is stunning. Very impressed with this release!
  11. Wael
    Sep 7, 2014
    1
    Among all of Maroon 5's discography, their latest album "V" is probably the worst thing they ever did. Although their last album, "Overexposed", wasn't them at their best either, but at least it was far off better than their fifth album with songs such as "Daylight" and "Beautiful Goodbye". Seems like the [great amazing] rock sound they showed on "Hands All Over" and "Songs about Jane" isAmong all of Maroon 5's discography, their latest album "V" is probably the worst thing they ever did. Although their last album, "Overexposed", wasn't them at their best either, but at least it was far off better than their fifth album with songs such as "Daylight" and "Beautiful Goodbye". Seems like the [great amazing] rock sound they showed on "Hands All Over" and "Songs about Jane" is gone. On this new album, all songs sound the same, all of them having a catchy pop tune and a chorus that'll get stuck in your head, but won't be remembered one month from now. This album is unfortunately very forgettable. Highlights include 'Sugar' and 'Unkiss Me' only. The rest of the songs are just fillers that will end up being played on the radio for a while then forgotten.… Expand
  12. bfoore90
    Sep 24, 2014
    5
    I'll admit, Maroon 5 had me optimistic when they indicated that V was possibly going back to their "Songs About Jane" roots that made them famous. In a way, they did that and they still sorta sound like an actual band again with a fresh, new sound. While its certainly an improvement over "Overexposed," its not much of an improvement. Their lyrics are still shallow, Adam Levine still soundsI'll admit, Maroon 5 had me optimistic when they indicated that V was possibly going back to their "Songs About Jane" roots that made them famous. In a way, they did that and they still sorta sound like an actual band again with a fresh, new sound. While its certainly an improvement over "Overexposed," its not much of an improvement. Their lyrics are still shallow, Adam Levine still sounds like he's whining (with auto-tune this time!), production is still tacky, and it still sounds more like a album meant for the pop-driven music industry. Overall, its a slight improvement over "Overexposed" with good songs like "Maps," if you're one of the ones hoping for something even remotely similar to "Songs About Jane", "It Won't Be Soon Before Long", or even "Hands All Over" then you should probably not listen to "V"… Expand
  13. musical_maniac
    Nov 16, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In my opinion, the best tracks include New Love, Unkiss Me, Coming Back For You, In Your Pocket, Animals and Leaving California. The least liked tracks would be Sex And Candy and Sugar.
    Overall, out of 14 tracks..
    10 are very likeable!
    2 are neutral (My Heart Is Open and It Was Always You)
    2 are not so great (Sex And Candy and Sugar)    … Expand
  14. Mesmerize
    Aug 9, 2016
    6
    6.0 z
  15. adhamhany
    Sep 9, 2014
    5
    Well, they never were something extraordinary. However, I did like their earlier work; back when they first appeared. I was hoping for more of that in this album, more tracks like Sunday Morning (my favorite from them).

    Unfortunately, that's not the case here. The lyrics are shallow, and the music lacks emotion. It's not bad or terrible or anything like that, but it's a disappointment.
  16. Annoymous1
    Aug 15, 2015
    6
    A few exceptionally good songs, a lot of just "good" songs and then the songs that were just meh. That was pretty much this album, nothing exceptional or remarkable, really.
  17. Jiano74
    Jan 25, 2016
    7
    An enjoyable album with songs like Animals and Maps two I really liked it isn't too similar to other work though it isn't phenomenal either though nor is it a dud a pleasant surprise in the end for me.
  18. beneightynine
    Sep 4, 2014
    6
    It may be a Grammy-worthy album, but Mr Levine chose to rely on the same collaborators (Shellback, Max Martin, Benny Blanco), leaving just one great track "Leaving California" to StarGate... Dr Luke, Ammo and Cirkut should have produced a track resembling "Better Than I know myself" instead of mashing-up "TGIF" and "Birthday" of Katy Perry.
    Many wanted names were absent: Ilya, The Dream,    It may be a Grammy-worthy album, but Mr Levine chose to rely on the same collaborators (Shellback, Max Martin, Benny Blanco), leaving just one great track "Leaving California" to StarGate... Dr Luke, Ammo and Cirkut should have produced a track resembling "Better Than I know myself" instead of mashing-up "TGIF" and "Birthday" of Katy Perry.
    Many wanted names were absent: Ilya, The Dream, Billy Steinberg, a featuring with Rihanna (on a Max Martin produced track), Sia (with a ballad produced by Greg Kurstin or Chris Braide)...
    Mr Levine has good vocals, but he didn't use them at their full capacity!    … Expand
  19. PinkFriday
    Sep 6, 2014
    3
    Com o V, Maroon 5 melhorou um pouco, mas ainda não está bom. As melhores faixas são Sugar, Leaving California e My Heart Is Open, mas nenhuma delas tem uma chance de fazer um grande sucesso ou algo assim. Pelo menos o V é melhor que o Overexposed.
  20. JohnKristofer
    May 27, 2015
    7
    I love Maroon 5 until now.They really do something new but I think the old Maroon 5 is much better but still their songs still makes me wanna listen due to it's beat and some songs are just catchy as hell. The album is good enough to listen all of their song.
  21. spongeswift
    Nov 12, 2017
    5
    V is not a great album but it also is not terrible. There are a few good songs that deserve 7 or 8's but the rest of them are just so one dimensional and repetitive. It's a pop/rock trainwreck that only pays off in a few of the songs.
  22. ImaginaryCritic
    Apr 16, 2015
    8
    Maroon 5 is getting back up. The songs are great with the best catchy lyrics. V is a good album but it feels like it's the same over and over again. I have to give them credit though. Adam Levine worked hard for this one and it went well. But it's not his greatest.
  23. KZorroFuego
    Aug 1, 2015
    5
    Maroon 5 have always been a rock band that injected pop and R&B swagger into their music. Even so, on their first 3 albums, they still managed to cut the right balance of the two, still sounding like a rock band with sprinklings of the other 2 on top for good measure. When album #3 tanked, and then they had a runaway smash with the poppy, Benny Blanco-produced add-on track "Moves LikeMaroon 5 have always been a rock band that injected pop and R&B swagger into their music. Even so, on their first 3 albums, they still managed to cut the right balance of the two, still sounding like a rock band with sprinklings of the other 2 on top for good measure. When album #3 tanked, and then they had a runaway smash with the poppy, Benny Blanco-produced add-on track "Moves Like Jagger" the writing was on the wall. More of the same followed with the messy, half-focused Overexposed, and now, with the aptly titled fifth album "V", one look at the back cover and seeing Max Martin as executive producer (and a host of even more pop svengalis in the liner notes for each song) it's clear they haven't ditched this approach. I was tempted before listening to hope that maybe they had done what I hoped they would do - take the fact that they DO know how to play well live, and on record, and use that talent to push what a typical chart-bomber could be. Mostly, hopes were dashed, and while it's better than Overexposed, it's not all it could be.

    "Maps" at least starts off with a more organic sounding groove, and more like a band playing than a few guys at keyboards cooking up thoroughly automated sugar-coated pop. Not that there's anything wrong with keyboard-driven pop, mind you. Just saying that it comes across as disappointing when that isn't exactly what you're expecting - or when you know the band putting it out is capable of doing both that and more organic music just as well. "Animals" is more of what M5 love doing - a track extolling the leering lover on the hunt. A bit well-worn at this point, but sticking with what you know can work. They try to tone the glitz down a bit with "Leaving California", and while it's a pleasant mid-tempo ballad with great ambition, it falls on Levine's voice. Straight up, he can't pull off the aw-shux-you're-leaving-me trope well in this setting - he needs a different backdrop for that. Following shortly after, the borderline creepy "In Your Pocket" sounds like one of the scrapped tracks from Overexposed that should have stayed scrapped. It sounds like a much more radio-friendly version of a rather crude internet-only track from a different artist - one featuring a jilted lover telling her other half "Something's going on, can I smell your...." well, you get the idea. Thankfully, this is a bump on the road, as Levine breaks out his Mariah Carey vocal-histrionics side for "New Love" - another mid-tempo burner which is, subject matter-wise, more his speed. And while "Feelings" is a pleasant enough track, it shows them starting to run out of ideas, as in the chorus it rides a beat and sound that is photocopied straight out of "Moves Like Jagger." Learning and adapting from what has been a hit in the past is one thing. Copy-catting it again down the road to make another song is just lazy work. Gwen Stefani lends a nice hand on the closing duet "My Heart Is Open" which is a nice breather after the overly busy, sometimes over-caffeinated remainder of the album.

    Bottom line - Maroon 5 the rock band is dead - or at least on life support, buried under the pop trappings of Dr. Luke, Shellback, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder, and more of-the-moment names. And it's understandable - if you find what works and pays the bills, I understand the need to go for it. One would think by now that they don't need to pay the bills that badly, and have the leeway to take chances. Maybe by album 6 they'll finally feel ready to. One can only hope.    … Expand
  24. ThatOneReviewa
    Oct 31, 2015
    2
    "V" is a misogynist, sexist record with no artistic value, and with Adam Levine at his worst. If you ate the worst CD you could think of, digested it, and then crapped it out, you'd probably crap out something better than "V".
  25. SumitSumbria
    May 28, 2016
    5
    Another album in the crowd with familier sounds and themes. Not at all impresive. "Suger" and "This Summer" are the best tracks in the album. "Animals (Danny Olson Remix)" is my personal favourite.
    Jewel of the album - "Sugar"
  26. BlogCritic123
    Jul 6, 2016
    10
    Awesome Pop album. Pretty Catchy tunes and Adam is an awesome singer.
    Not their best I will admit, but really awesome

    Highlights: This Summer, Maps, It Was Always You, Lost Stars
  27. robertoiglesias
    Nov 30, 2020
    3
    What the hell happened?! They were doing so well with Overexposed, and now they made this garbage?
    At least Maps is great. It Was Always You and Unkiss Me are decent.
    This Summer was nearly good imo. If only the chorus wasn't just a line repeated twice, and the wolf howling noises were cut. Coming Back For You was at least not painful. However, the rest is really bad. Leaving    What the hell happened?! They were doing so well with Overexposed, and now they made this garbage?
    At least Maps is great. It Was Always You and Unkiss Me are decent.
    This Summer was nearly good imo. If only the chorus wasn't just a line repeated twice, and the wolf howling noises were cut.
    Coming Back For You was at least not painful.
    However, the rest is really bad.

    Leaving California is lame as hell that's so desperate and boring, New Love is so terrible and obnoxious, My Heart Is Open is nothing but Adam and Gwen Stefani singing bad lyrics with a putrid chorus, and Shoot Love is filled with poor production and vocals.

    Then there's Animals, Sugar, In Your Pocket, and Feelings, which are so horrible, they make the rest of the album seem decent.

    I hate this album.    … Expand
  28. DarwinMC99
    Jul 5, 2017
    8
    Para resumirlo esto es un overexposed 2.0 aunque cuenta con tonos frescos como feelings o shoot love que le dan su identidad al álbum, pero peca de tener tonos comerciales y dejar de lado la calidad que ofrecía la banda en sus inicios, sin embargo V es el mejor álbum discográfico hasta la actualidad de la banda, que cada pista te muestra una sensación diferente y te ofrece el mismoPara resumirlo esto es un overexposed 2.0 aunque cuenta con tonos frescos como feelings o shoot love que le dan su identidad al álbum, pero peca de tener tonos comerciales y dejar de lado la calidad que ofrecía la banda en sus inicios, sin embargo V es el mejor álbum discográfico hasta la actualidad de la banda, que cada pista te muestra una sensación diferente y te ofrece el mismo torbellino emocional que por suerte no deja de lado.… Expand
  29. PauliAlexander
    Sep 23, 2018
    0
    It looks like the torture in Abu Ghraib isn't enough, so Maroon 5 had to unleash this collection of torture, including, but not limited to, noises labelled Animals, This Summer Is Gonna Hurt Like a MF, Maps.

    Sorry Adam Levine, but just because you have looks, doesn't mean it's gonna cut it.
  30. DCMusicFan
    Oct 3, 2018
    0
    The howls in Animals alone should force people to dump this CD or LP into the trash.
  31. Willduffy
    Nov 4, 2020
    4
    I wasn't a big fan of a couple songs in this album, but overall I think it's great. A great upgrade from Overexposed and basically a better version of Red Pill Blues.
  32. GamePlayer77
    Jun 3, 2021
    5
    This is the most alright thing I've ever listened to.

    FAV TRACK: It Was Always You
    LEAST FAV TRACK: In Your Pocket
  33. zsoltisinko
    Jun 21, 2021
    10
    My third favourite Maroon 5 album, and it doesn't mean anything bad, it just means they have alot of amaizing albums. People complains about yet again by not bringing back the classic rock, instead blending rock and pop together to actually make some relevant songs, and they DID.
    Animals is just my favourite out of the album, super catchy, dancy song with lyrics I laughed at the first    My third favourite Maroon 5 album, and it doesn't mean anything bad, it just means they have alot of amaizing albums. People complains about yet again by not bringing back the classic rock, instead blending rock and pop together to actually make some relevant songs, and they DID.
    Animals is just my favourite out of the album, super catchy, dancy song with lyrics I laughed at the first time i heard it. Obviously Maps is another masterpiece, followed by Shoot love and It was always you. Other honorable songs are Feelings, This summer, Leaving california, Sugar, Coming back for you, Lost stars, In your pocket. The songs that didnt get mention are NOT bad at all, they are just not my favourites    … Expand
  34. RoxanneKimberly
    Nov 24, 2021
    10
    Another album full of great singles, Maroon 5 knows how to make great songs
  35. EstellaKimberly
    Nov 25, 2021
    10
    Another great mainstream pop album by Maroon 5, Adam Levine's voice is amazing
  36. brubruzinha
    Nov 25, 2021
    10
    Another amazing record by Maroon 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Most Discussed Album of 2014
68
#68 Most Shared Album of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. AllMusic
    Sep 8, 2014
    70
    Sometimes, the group achieves a delicate balance between the two extremes--"It Was Always You," "New Love," and the aforementioned "Feelings"--but the best moments on V are when Maroon 5 embrace the tuneful, slightly soulful adult contemporary pop band they've always been.
    Read full review
  2. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Sep 5, 2014
    5
    Nearly every song on this record is misogynistic in some regard, from the obvious predatory ramblings of “Animals” to the Robin Thicke-level douchebaggery of “Feelings.”
    Read full review
  3. The New York Times
    Sep 3, 2014
    50
    V is like a peppy new Nissan Altima: It won’t give you too many problems; it won’t attract stares; it probably won’t get stolen. Its parts are reliable, though none have the pulse of “Moves Like Jagger,” the 2011 hit that gave this group new life.
    Read full review
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