It’s a shame that 20 years since the release of their breakthrough debut album, “Songs About Jane,” Maroon 5 are trying to please every listening aesthetic and nailing none of them. Maroon 5’s “Jordi” (222 Records/Interscope), is background music if you needed something to back-up your background music. That’s how cloying it is. It’s the music that you hear at Starbuck’s while they’re busy screwing up your order. Their metaphors are overcommitted, their ballads, a wee sappy. And forget rockin’ out to the band – you can’t predict what current bandwagon they’re going to jump on musically, so there goes the dance. “Jordi” is their seventh record, and it comes up short. Their pop is plastic, and as the record is dedicated to M5’s late manager, who died suddenly in 2017, there are huge pockets of mourning throughout. Doused in cliches, “Jordi” is scattered and chaotic. Blackbear delivers an almost identical flow to the chorus of his hit, “Hot Girl Summer” on “Echo” as M5 lead singer Adam Levine tries to keep up with the fluorescent production. The album credits a whopping 45 writers so that might explain why the album it is so scattershot. Musically, “Jordi” might be best suited to a club atmosphere, where the lights and thumping noise leave you breathless and confused. This isn’t progressive pop, it’s people-pleasing pop, and M5 need to stop the pandering.

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Goth punk outfit AFI are back with “Bodies” (Ex Noctem Nacimur Records), and the band is taking a more mature approach on this, their 11th album. “Bodies” is reminiscent at times of their 2017 self-titled album and with a retro residue, the songs are vigorous and nu-wavey. AFI clearly honors its heroes, sometimes a bit too closely, on tracks like “Far to Near” (which more than tips its hat to The Cure). The album strives for excellence and comes up decently, but it feels like there are some missed opportunities lying amongst the album’s 11 cuts. The closer, the lullaby-ish “Tied to a Tree” is aiming for the same somber affect of “The Wind That Carries Me,” from AFI’s self-titled “Blood Album,” but comes up faulty. It’s evident that the band is trying to cover some unchartered territory and succeeds at times. “Twisted Tongues,” the album’s opener, makes a splashy entrance, capitalizing on AFI’s love and dedication to punk rock. Overall, “Bodies” is a theatrical affair, with guitar flourishes, and the band, Davey Havok, Jade Puget, Hunger Burgen and Adam Carson manage to pull most of the tracks off while not sounding like they’re running on ice. The track “Begging for Trouble” might have been an ironic name for a song title on a record that delves into different sounds. Luckily for the band, it is not.

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Fan favorite Lukas Nelson, son of Willie, returns with his band, Promise of the Real with “A Few Stars Apart” (Fantasy Records), showcasing his ability to be a true musical chameleon on what might be his best album yet. This is pure Americana, and it’s clear that Lukas has learned a few tricks from the old man. The album is a result of Lukas being in lockdown with his family in Texas, and of that he has said, “As terrible as the pandemic was in so many ways, I was able to take a lot of good from this time.” “Stars” shines on tracks like “Leave ’em Behind” has shades of Crosby, Stills and Nash and any Bob Seger slow-burner. The title track is a gentle love song, as Lukas sings, “We’re just a few stars apart/Every night you can see my heart/Shining like a big white diamond in the sky/You’re not alone.” Lukas has said recording the album in Nashville was a bit like a surgical strike: “We snuck in and snuck out.” Pretty sneaky tactics for an album as great as this one. With its depth and richness, “Stars” like it could have taken years to complete. This is a true songwriter’s record.

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Wolfgang Van Halen, a.k.a. WVH, son of the late Eddie Van Halen, sings and plays every instrument, no small task, on his debut album, “Mammoth” (X1 Records) and the result is a pleasant surprise – and not a retread of his father’s trademark sound. For years, WVH wrote songs in his dad’s 5150 studios, amassing a melodic catalogue of songs; 14 of those tracks made the cut on “Mammoth.” The bonus track “Distance” was later added to the CD, and is a touching tribute to Eddie Van Halen, who died too young at age 65. With “Mammoth,” WVH, who played bass with Van Halen since 2006, crafts his own sound, mostly sticking to the realms of alternative and hard rock. Any listener might be tempted to wait for Eddie’s signature riff, but WVH plays his guitar closely to the vest, flexing his own style. “Mammoth” is an unexpected pleasure, with its energy and thrill-ride affect that will surely resonate with fans of Van Halen – which is a pretty nifty nod for a non-VH album. Interestingly enough, WVH has a band waiting in the wings, ready for gigs to get the greenlight. And if they can add a group dynamic to this record, they’ll mop the floor with it in a mammoth way.

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