Roger's Year in Music 2014, No. 20: V, by Maroon 5.

I was introduced to Maroon 5 six years ago by a pub customer. At first, I was enamored. As time passes, I find myself becoming ever more conflicted. For one, frontman/singer Adam Levine's voice simply doesn't strike me as the versatile instrument so often praised, although that's primarily a consequence of an absence of institutional memory on the part of listeners.

He and the band remain at their best as practitioners of the venerable "blue-eyed soul" category, as made abundantly clear by tracks like "Sugar." Maroon 5 tends these days toward hook-laden pop songs sans the charming innocence of former times, and these usually are terribly over-produced in the custom of the present age, though still catchy beneath the surface sheen.

The catchiness keeps me coming back, but the problem I have is the misogyny now creeping into so many of the songs. It's been widely remarked upon for a while, and the objection is plausible. Musically, bubble gum hooks suit me fine with, and they always have, and yet the video for "Animals" gives me pause. Symbolism really matters, and I don't like it in the context of human beings as meat.

Instead, listen to "Sugar" for a better taste.