Maxwell - Now
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Free Music Notes for Now
Free Music Review: Is R&B dead?
Hit: 5 Stars
Well obviously its not, but it is an endangered species. The trend continues for r&b to be mixed with more hip hop and/or pop. Consequently, r&b has become seriously diluted and reshaped. This has sparked the neo-soul movement: artists coming out trying to return r&b to its roots. However, this presents a problem within itself. Many neo-soul artists try so hard to be retro and deep that they either bring nothing new, and/or become very uninteresting. They wear their influences on their sleeves and come off as borrowers or copyists. Giving respect to your heroes without becoming derivative is an art that not enough have mastered it.
Maxwell is a neo-soul artist, but he's one I actually like. He's not boring. He makes songs that actually grab me, as opposed to music that just slips in and out of my mind and ears. I think he's better than D'Angelo, and if anyone should inherit Prince's crown, it should be Maxwell. Of course, Maxwell isn't as adventurous or ambitious or as overall as good or talented as Prince, so the whole inheritance thing is a moot point. Forgive me.
Nevertheless, this is my favorite Maxwell album. I don't think there is a bad song on it. While it's easy to get bored with his Urban Hang Suite album, Now keeps you entertained. It has balance. It has its share of sad, slow songs like Symptom Unknown and This Woman's Work, but it offers you nice fast ones also, like Now/At The Party and Get To Know Ya.
Free Music Review: Best Album Ever
Hit: 5 Stars
This is hands down the best CD I have ever heard. The tracks are hypnotic and send you to instant relaxation mode.Free Music Review: Now & Later
Hit: 5 Stars
Now, begins with the mid-tempo "Get To Know Ya" with a series of live instrumentation including a horn section over Maxwell's multi-layered vocals. As one of the album's highlights, "Lifetime" could be taken in more way than one with the first as a simple song of hope out of despair and the second to get over a broken heart. The carefully tailored lyrics and production are inviting with the repetitious phrase "...turn the lights down low..." on "W/As My Girl". Challenging the modern dance R&B tunes "Noone" and the closing "Now/At The Party" Maxwell digs for a more mature style with the up-beat grooves. "Temporary Nite" is another up-tempo track with guitar riffs similar to rock or heavy metal. Taking on a smooth approach to the nearly off-beat "Silently" the deep, dark atmosphere continued on an even deeper path to the acoustic driven and faint companion of winds on "Symptom Unknown". As eleven of the twelve tracks were written by Maxwell, Hod David and Stuart Matthewman, "This Woman's Work" taken from Kate Bush only broadens Now's feel and complexity from another aspect to highlight this LP. Escaping the norm of other R&B artists with a rare sense of identity and artististic creativity, Maxwell's Now is an example of a solid effort. Free Music Review: Neo-soul At It's Best
Hit: 4 Stars
Recently, I have been on a "revisiting streak" so to speak. I've recently been picking up CDs that I've missed purchasing and listening to and etc... over the past few years. I think so easily we forget music from the past whether it dates back to classical music or to music from the 1990s. So many people are so quick to say "that's old, I was into that music last week". In my view, it important to embrace the whole spectrum of music. With that the end of my music spill, Maxwell's third album NOW is a masterpiece.
Maxwell opens up another door of R&B with this album which began of course with his debut, MAXWELL'S URBAN HANG SUITE. With that said, I personally appreciate the fact that Maxwell doesn't try to be a contemporary R&B artist with all the dance moves and the dance videos; he is a cut above those type artists because his music isn't clubby, but more sophisticated, hence his neo-soul categorization. What is neo-soul-- it is contemporary artists trying to recaptivate the "sanctity" of the soul music of their musical mentors. Maxwell captivates this from the opening track til the end of the CD without faltering.
With that said, one odd thing about the physical CD itself is the way that the first song "Get To Know Ya'" is cut. Track 1 is listed on the CD as the "Get To Know Ya'" track however that track only features the acoustic guitar introduction of that song and then proceeds into track 2 (the actual song) with an accented bass guitar hit. That isn't a big deal of course, but it is something that you don't see on the average CD. But with that said, "Get To Know Ya'" is a soulful opening track that doesn't ooze with the sexuality that many of today less sophisticated releases do. This track embodies soul and embodies being sexy without being explicit, which is part of the draw of a singer like Maxwell. I'm not dissing contemporary R&B artists because I am a fan of the BEST of them, but this type of music is simply more sophisticated and more credible in certain aspects.
"Lifetime" is a beautiful ballad that is soulful enough for the adult contemporary crowd but also contemporary enough for young listeners who appreciate the sincerest of love songs. Skipping ahead to my other favorites, "Changed" is another lovely tune, but the showstopper is the incredible, chilling "For Lovers Only" which is just a beautiful piece of R&B music.
For the most part, Maxwell's NOW is a consistent album, even though you can't help but to choose your favorite tracks or what you consider the strongest track. Also, the acoustic guitar, electric piano formula is changed up slightly with burst of electric guitar and etc... This album never grows boring and who cares if it was released in 2001? It is still a credible music creation that will hopefully be an R&B album that people remember. You only have to listen to see why this album went platinum. 4 Stars Maxwell. I hope R&B continues to bring neo-soul men and women to the table.
Free Music Review: One of the best Neo Soul albums of all time
Hit: 5 Stars
The album is truly impressive. In addition to the hit singles--this woman's work and lifetime--changed is also an excellent tune with some great bass work.