Maxwell Urban Hang Suite (Columbia;1996)

Sugar’s Review: Big homie Ed Garnes (you my Negro from here to Montego) and myself were responsible for exposing 30,000 small town Indiana citizens to up and coming artists that spoke to our soul and uplifted the good ‘hood in us. One day while perusing a bunch of videos we stumbled upon a very afroed brother crawling around on a carpeted floor crooning to an empty bed. We were a bit thrown off by the eccentric style of the video, to say the least, but upon closer listening we were encompassed by the smooth funky musicianship. It was booty call music on the low. What video was this? You guessed it, “Til the Cops Come Knockin” by Maxwell from his debut major release “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite”. Though I heard he had an album (or maybe a few songs) before…again on the low. Urban Hang Suite with it’s very vintage cover and sultry sounds about one weekend with one lady rocked the very core of the Plymouth. The sac passe brother from Brooklyn used conventional wisdom in defying the convention of the soul song formula…some famous producer like Puffy (he wasn’t Diddy at the time), a rap remix, or vulgar words to smooth sounds. OK, enough of the review speak, Urban Hang Suite was the joint. I don’t know about you, but I found out the last song has a long pause with a climactic return as I did what you’re supposed to when that album is playing…make sure whoever calls has to leave a message.

Ed’s Review: : “If it’s cool..we can do a lil’ sumthin’ sumthin’” – “Sumthin’ Sumthin” Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell was already the star of our burgeoning tv program. I will never forget that day we got mail from Columbia Records containing an extensive promo package from a cat simply known as Maxwell. And while me and Sugar joked ( I mean we laughed for good ten minutes) about the “brother with the Fro” rolling on the floor with himself in the video “Till The Cops Come Knocking,” his jazzy release-inspired by a short but intense fling– introduced a new level of sensuality to post teenage desire. Plus, the sultry soundtrack made even Timberland wearing thugs summon their sensitive side …me and Sugar often called the album “A Sensitive Brother’s Manifesto”…But for real, Maxwell’s mature offering was like the romantic flare of flowers just because.

It was the smoothed out love letter every brother in the world wanted to write….but was too damn cool to tell his women!!! Maxwell’s 96′ release also marks a dramatic tone shift in music as mid tempo grooves, jam sessions, and incense became the craze as industry execs, looking for a clever marketing term to push record sales, developed the flawed title neo-soul ( soul is soul…and that never get’s old). Maxwell’s debut is genius because it single handedly captured the tenderness and repressed desires of a new generation …

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