Coldby Maroon 5

Maroon 5's new single "Cold" featuring Future is a taught, synth driven tune that is propelled beautifully by Adam Levine's always high register and liquid vocals stylings. "Cold" from a production standpoint is sort of cut from the same cloth as other pop singles in the past few years, in that it's kind of stark with limited instrumentation in the background, and doesn't just let the vocals do the work, but also pushes the personality of the singer ahead of the mix. Levine is just the right guy for the job and takes on the task memorably. Recent comparisons in this style might include Rihanna's "Consideration" or a number of tracks on Beyonce's "Lemonade" album.

If you are a Maroon 5 fan however, the only complaint about "Cold" you might have is this track, in the vein of a few other songs of late no longer feels like a band is playing them any more. It's telling that they boast two keyboardists in the group these days and it sounds like they are both employed to maximum effect on this one. It's hard to argue with the results of "Cold" but fans may hope for full band efforts in the years to come. For as talented as Levine is or has become over the years, there has been a lot of magic from this band when they decide to rock out in full force.

There is a nice bonus rap from Future where he exhibits his skills and shows why he's been so hot lately, while the lyrics are poignant ans d enhance the tune. Speaking of rap, the melody of "Cold" is so strong that you can easily hear other hip hop artists (most obviously Kanye West) using it for one their songs in releases to come.