Maroon 5 sets pace by the work of Levine

Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine keeps busy not only playing with the group but also judging contestants on “The Voice” and tending to other business pursuits.

Levine’s full plate, though, has allowed the band to downshift from a frenetic pace to a manageable one.

The Los Angeles septet’s new album, “Red Pill Blues,” is its first in more than three years, even though the band remains busy, guitarist James Valentine said.

“Our schedule is definitely different,” Valentine, 39, said by phone from Los Angeles.

“It’s all kind of dictated by Adam’s TV schedule, so we’re constantly working but much less busy than it was. We were working at a pretty frantic pace for the first decade of existence. We were constantly on the road or in the studio. And it’s funny — the TV show has kind of allowed us to take it a little bit easier, but we’re always doing stuff.”

Nothing seems to hamper Maroon 5’s upward ascent. Since the band’s massively successful debut with “Songs for Jane” (2002), all six of its studio albums — the last was “V” (2014) — have debuted at No. 6 or better on the Billboard 200, with two reaching No. 1 and “Red Pill Blues” bowing at No. 2.

Maroon 5 has logged 16 Top 20 hits, leading the charts with “Makes Me Wonder” (2007), “Moves Like Jagger” (2011) and “One More Night” (2012). The group also has won three Grammy Awards.

The level of success is one that Valentine, Levine and their bandmates did not anticipate 15 years ago, Valentine acknowledged.

“I’m just so grateful we’ve been able to keep the band together the whole time,” he said. “It’s a hard thing to