Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the debut album by American R&B singer-songwriter Maxwell. It was recorded in 1994 and 1995 and released on April 2, 1996, by Columbia Records.
Maxwell largely wrote and produced the album himself, recording in sessions at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City, and CRC recording studios in Chicago. The resulting music features a mellow, groove-based sound with elements of funk, jazz, smooth soul, and quiet storm. A concept album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was composed as a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance, based in part on Maxwell's personal experiences.
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was not an immediate commercial success, but it was helped by the release of its second single "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" in July 1996, and the album eventually became a million-seller. It was also a success with critics, who praised it as a departure from the mainstream, hip hop-oriented R&B of the time, while earning Maxwell several accolades and comparisons to soul singers of the past, particularly Marvin Gaye and Prince.
The success of Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite elevated Maxwell's reputation to that of a sex symbol and a notable performer in the music industry. He was credited with shaping the "neo soul" movement of musicians that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with D'Angelo's Brown Sugar (1995) and Erykah Badu's Baduizm (1997), the album provided commercial exposure to neo soul and has since been cited by several critics as Maxwell's greatest work.
Background After receiving a low-cost Casio keyboard from a friend, Brooklyn, New York-native Maxwell began composing material at age 17.Huey, Steve. [ Maxwell: Biography]. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. Raised in the borough's East New York-section, Maxwell's previous musical experience included his beginnings as a singer in the congregation of his Baptist church, which had become an integral part of his life after the death of his father in a plane crash.Brennan (2002), pp. 132–133. Already a fan of what he described as "jheri curl soul", which was the trademark of early 1980s R&B acts such as Patrice Rushen, S.O.S. Band and Rose Royce, Maxwell began to teach himself to play a variety of instruments. According to him, the R&B of the early 1980s contained "the perfect combination of computerized instrumentation with a live feel", and that the genre's dynamics later became lost due to the influence of hip hop on R&B.Adams (1998), pp. 172–173. Despite facing ridicule from classmates for being shy and awkward, he progressed and continued to develop his musical abilities.
At 19, Maxwell began performing throughout the New York club circuit while supporting himself by waiting tables during the day. He was able to gain access to a 24 track recording studio and started to record songs for a demo tape, which he circulated among his friends. The demo engendered interest, and his official debut concert performance at Manhattan nightclub Nell's drew a crowd. During the next two years, Maxwell wrote and recorded over three hundred songs and played frequently at small venues throughout New York City. Maxwell's performances continued to draw interest and increase the buzz about him, and he was called "the next Prince" by a writer from Vibe magazine who attended one of his shows. After earning a considerable reputation, Maxwell signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1994. He adopted his middle name as a moniker out of respect for his family's privacy.
Recording and production
Maxwell recorded his debut album between 1994 and 1995 at Electric Lady Studios, RPM Studios, Sorcerer Studios and Chung King Studios in New York City, and at CRC Studios in Chicago, Illinois.Product Page: Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. Muze. Retrieved on March 30, 2009. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was produced primarily by Peter Mokran, who was credited as P.M., and Maxwell, who was credited as "MUSZE", a play on the word muse.Maxwell (1996), p. 10. Columbia executives reluctantly gave Maxwell creative freedom in his contract and were hesitant to allow him produce the album alone. They assigned Chicago-based, English producer and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Matthewman to the project, but he only produced the first few tracks. Matthewman had previously worked with English R&B and jazz group Sade. During the recording sessions, Maxwell worked extensively with collaborators, including Matthewman, soul singer-songwriter Leon Ware, and funk guitarist Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin. Prior to working with Maxwell, Ware and Ragin were collaborators of soul musician Marvin Gaye; Ware had produced and composed most of Gaye's tenth album I Want You (1976).Jurek, Thom. [ Review: I Want You]. Allmusic. Retrieved on March 30, 2009.
Production assistance and instrumentation from such veteran session musicians contributed significantly to Urban Hang Suites vintage overtones and classic R&B influences. Matthewman and Maxwell played several instruments during recording for the album, including guitar, drums, saxophone, bass, and keyboards. They also composed three of the album's eleven tracks together. After the recording sessions ended in March 1995, Urban Hang Suite was mixed by P.M. (Peter Mokran) and audio engineer Mike Pela, after which it was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City.
Music and lyrics
Although one of his earliest influences was early 1980s urban R&B, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was inspired by the sounds and themes of classic soul artists such as Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Barry White, Stevie Wonder and Prince.Fricke, David. Review: Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.Easlea, Daryl. Review: Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. BBC Music. Retrieved on July 9, 2009. According to Prince biographer Alex Hahn, Maxwell adopts the singer's sound and style, particularly from songs such as "Do Me, Baby" (1982) and "Pink Cashmere" (1993),Hahn (2003), p. 227. while The New York Timess Amy Linden said that he "melds a soft-spoken singing style with the fluid, spacious grooves often associated with the cocktail funk of Sade".Linden, Amy. Pop View: Young Crooners Learn the Subtle Art of Seduction. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-13. Critics have also noted Maxwell's falsetto singing voice, and the music's atmospheric, funky instrumentation, featuring mellow horns, wah wah guitar, Rhodes piano and deep, articulate bass lines.Gill, Rajinder. . AnandTech. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. The tempo of the songs slowly diminishes through the course of the album's songs. One critic attributes the tempo decrease to Stuart Matthewman's production. The album contains elements of funk, jazz, contemporary R&B and quiet storm, and it is mostly composed of sexual balladry and slow jams.Ryan, Linda. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite: Reviews. Rhapsody. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.Coleman, Nick. Review: Maxwell. The Independent. Retrieved on March 30, 2009.
A concept album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance from first encounter to its dramatic conclusion. Over the course of the album, Maxwell details a single passionate encounter. Throughout, it examines the concept with lyrical themes of love, sex and spirituality, as well as issues such as commitment, marriage and monogamy. Maxwell has described the themes and his thoughts on romance as "idealistic" on Urban Hang Suite.Hay, Carla. Maxwell Tries Living In The 'Now'. Billboard. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. Rolling Stone editor David Fricke compared the album's concept to that of Marvin Gaye's 1978 record Here, My Dear, which dealt with his divorce, saying that Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite had been reworked as a treatise on monogamy. The album has been noted for the sincerity of Maxwell's lyrics, which depict a man's weakness and vulnerability to a woman's love. In an interview with music journalist Mark Coleman, Maxwell cited his respect for African-American women as the inspiration for the respectful nature of his lyrics towards women. Maxwell told Interviews Dimitri Erhlich that his main muse for Urban Hang Suite was women, and further elaborated on his inspiration, stating:
Maxwell also cited his grandmother and other West Indian women he knows as the inspiration behind his romantic notions. Music journalists inferred that the album was inspired by or based on an unsuccessful affair in Maxwell's life. Maxwell said in an interview, "I'm so innately romantic and always have been, and I went through this particular romantic experience and based my album on that".Columnist. "What He Does Want Is to Make Beautiful Music". PACE Magazine: 100. September 2002. The album's liner notes have a dedication from Maxwell to his "musze", stating "I could never have done this without you".
The album opens with an instrumental track, "The Urban Theme", which begins with the sound of a stylus dropping on a vinyl record. The track's prominent funk sound is reminiscent of the music of the Brand New Heavies. "Welcome" features the album's prominent sexual vibe, and contains a quiet storm sound and saxophone. The two opening tracks both contain prominent funk influence.Columnist. The Greatest Make-Out Songs of All Time . Blender. Retrieved on 2009-04-05. Roni Sarig wrote that their "early '80s full-band R&B and jazz pop grooves are reminiscent of Maze's brightest days and Steely Dan's coolest nights."Sarig, Roni. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite: Editorial Review. Amazon.com. Retrieved on March 31, 2009. The funk-influenced "Sumthin' Sumthin'", which was co-written by Leon Ware, contains a strong, rhythmically tight groove created by the implementation of the "pocket" bass technique.Kringel (2004), p. 61. Co-written by songwriter Itaal Shur, "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" opens with a funky groove and bass line, and features a forceful rhythm and rough funk sound. The song contains strong gospel overtones with references to God in the lyrics.Butta. #5: Maxwell 'Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)' . SoulBounce. Retrieved on March 31, 2009. The song has been covered by gospel artists such as Londa Larmond and LaShun Pace.
Cited by Blender magazine as one of the "Greatest Make-Out Songs of All Time", "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'" contains sexually explicit lyrics and a slower tempo than its preceding tracks. It also contains the sound of distant sirens and "grinding porn-movie" guitar licks. The songs "Whenever Wherever Whatever" and "Lonely's the Only Company (I & II)" are ballads that contain themes of vulnerability to love. "Suitelady (The Proposal Jam)" completes the album's concept of monogamy with lyrics depicting a marriage proposal from Maxwell. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite closes with the instrumental track "The Suite Theme". While the length of the track is listed as 13:47 minutes, the song ends after 6:00 minutes, followed by a period of silence, before resuming with a hidden track, which consists of 1:41 minutes of an instrumental version of "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'".Maxwell. "The Suite Theme", Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, Columbia, 1996.
Release and promotion