Maroon 5 named their seventh album after Jordan Feldstein, a longtime friend of frontman
Adam Levine who was also the band's manager. Feldstein is also the subject of "Memories," the 2019 hit single that launched 2021's
Jordi, but this album should in no way be collectively seen as a somber, sentimental, or reflective affair. It is a
Maroon 5 album through and through, so it's filled with strong hooks, chill vibes, and songs about sex, territory
Levine navigates by floating above the glassy surfaces with his falsetto. Guest stars abound, with the bigger names providing a significant personality boost:
Megan Thee Stallion gives "Beautiful Mistakes" a carnal charge,
Stevie Nicks helps steer "Remedy" into New Wave territory, and
H.E.R. dominates the cool groove of "Convince Me Otherwise." Only five of the album's 14 songs are credited to
Maroon 5 alone, a move that helps
Jordi play like a deftly sequenced cross-genre playlist, a feeling accentuated by how "Memories" is present in its original mix and a remix featuring
Nipsey Hussle &
YG.
Levine and company aren't the focus here, they're the connective tissue on a softly amorphous album that sounds entirely like latter-day
Maroon 5 without ever quite seeming to belong to them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine