It’s time for ETS to get down & dirty and get freaky-nasty! Father of the genre called “Neo-Soul,” Maxwell recently released his 4TH studio album, BLACKsummers’night. He is being rewarded with the Artist of the Week because he is bringing back those steamy albums that no one is doing right now. I feel he is the modern day Barry White/Teddy Pendergrass. I watched a recent performance he did in Boston where a girl threw her thong on stage. He picked it up and used it to rub the sweat off his face. Then he continued to sing while holding the thong in his hand! Now that’s gangsta!
Neo-Soul is a genre not recognized by many, including the artists lumped into that category. It is a controversial subject to many of the singers in the genre. While Maxwell wasn’t the first Neo-Soul singer, he was the first to get any radio play and the most recognizable of the genre. He paved the way for artists like: D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Rhian Benson, Van Hunt and Calvin Richardson. Maxwell’s music is definitely made for the bedroom, fusing R&B with jazz and horns. This combination makes Maxwell stand out as an artist because no one is really touching that genre anymore. The only person close to that is R Kelly, but I won’t go there! Maxwell is back after a 7 year hiatus, and I’m sure the girls are excited about that one!
Maxwell recorded his first album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite in 1994, but it was released two years after it was completed. His label (Columbia Records) wasn’t sure how the album would be received by the general public. The album was very sensual, with a “quiet storm” vibe. The album contains some slow jams that are steamy: “The Suite Theme,” “…Til the Cops Come Knockin” and “Suitelady (the Proposal Jam).” “The Suite Theme” is one of the sexiest songs I’ve ever heard and it is perfect to set a very romantic mood. The album doesn’t just offer slow jams, but also offers some laid-back funk tracks. Although the album was a success critically, the album was not a major hit with record buyers.
With the critical success of his first album, Maxwell released his best album to date in 1998, Embrya. This is a classic Neo-Soul album that can be played from beginning to end with no need to skip over tracks. While the jazz overtones were lost in this album, the heavy jazz bass was still prominent. In my opinion, his best track, “Matrimony: Maybe You,” combines that classic 80’s R&B sound, with Maxwell’s soft delivery, making it a stand out of the album. Other standouts from this album are: “Everwanting,” “Luxury: Cocure” and “Submerge: Til We Become the Sun.” This is a classic R&B album that you should definitely add to your collection of albums.
Several years later, Maxwell released his third album, Now. Maxwell showed that he was growing as an artist, expanding on what made him great, yet tweaking it just enough to sound fresh. He still had his standard bedroom hits (“Lifetime” and “For Lover’s Only”) but this album was more a funk R&B sound, experimenting more with horns and deep baselines. His song “Lifetime” has that classic opening line, “I was reborn/when I was broken.” That’s a deep line to throw out there, but that just goes to show that there is some thought behind his lyrics.
His latest album, BLACKsummers’night was released in July and it is the first of what Maxwell says is a trilogy of albums. The albums will be released over the next three years. Again, the album is quality. Maxwell always puts out quality albums, with no fillers. What I mean by that is, most artists have intros to the album and intro to songs. Some have skits that play in between tracks. None of those things happen with Maxwell! This 10 track album is just filled with good cuts. He has some standout hits like “Bad Habits,” “Pretty Wings” and “Fistful of Tears.”
Maxwell has also released several tracks exclusive to movie soundtracks. His biggest, was the track “Fortunate” from the very forgettable Martin Lawrence & Eddie Murphy movie, “Life.” He also released a 7 track live Ep he did for MTV Unplugged. In it, he covers Kate Bush’s track, “This Woman’s Work.”
Currently, he is on tour supporting his new album and he will be playing at the Hollywood Bowl in October! Ladies, remember to keep your thongs on, and if you must launch them onto the stage, make sure your throw a petite size up! We don’t want the concert to stop thinking there are parachuters trying to crash the party!
Top 5 Songs
1. Matrimony:Maybe You (Embrya)
2. Suite Theme (Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite)
3. Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)Â (Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite)
4. Get To Know Ya (Now)
5. Fortunate (Life Soundtrack)
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