Audio Remasterer: Fred Kevorkian.

CALL & RESPONSE: THE REMIX ALBUM will come as a pleasant surprise to anyone who has criticized Maroon 5 in the past for playing it too safe with their radio-friendly adult alternative pop. This isn't to say that the 18 tracks that make up CALL & RESPONSE aren't accessible and pop-minded, but the fresh perspectives brought by the remixers to the project expand the band's usual sonic boundaries considerably.

No one can accuse the album of not being diverse; remixers include ?uestlove of the Roots, Of Montreal, and Pharrell Williams. Of course, Maroon 5's sweet melodies and R&B-influenced grooves are still at the heart of each track, but, thanks to guests as wide-ranging as experimental rockers Deerhoof, electro-pop mavens Cut Copy, and urban contemporary chart queen Rihanna, there's no shortage of new sounds to savor.