

It was a real challenge – usually, successfull debutants try to release their second album as soon as possible, or they can be forgotten. The next studio album appeared only after five years later. Album was named after Levin's ex-girlfriend, and all songs were dedicated to the relationships of man and woman – that is probably why Maroon 5's melodious pop-rock had become intimate to great number of people. They haven't been wasting time – their first album, Songs About Jane, became triple platinum in many countries. As Jesse Carmichael switched to keyboards, there appeared an urgent need for a new guitarist – so James Valentine became one. After school, the four attended different colleges, but they remained in touch and started playing together again in 2001. At that time their band was called Kara's Flowers, they were playing grunge, and Levine was singing with a deep voice (as opposed to the high-pitched vocals he is known for now). Maroon 5's story begins in 1995, when Adam Levine (lead vocals, guitar), Jesse Carmichael (at that time he played the guitar), Mickey Madden (bass guitar) and Ryan Dusick (drums) were attending the same junior high school.

Any musician can envy Maroon 5's success – this Los Angeles band, which plays "rock with soul elements" can't complain of the lack of popularity, and both of its studio albums were a major chart success.
