Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

can someone please help me. i accidentally put this album on through the speakers in my room and the all encompassing smoothness has removed all friction from every object in the room. I can't open the door as i no longer have fingerprints and the door handle is slipperier than the soap in the prison showers. once i finally get out of this room the question remains will my new orb shape be the new fashion and shoot me to international fame or will i be shunned as the weird ball boy who looks like Duncan Goodhews head rolling around.

This album is so "smooth" it slid in one ear and back out the other, leaving no impression behind other than a slightly slimy film to mark its passage.

This is a desert island album for me. Not because I'd want to listen to it for the rest of my life, but because you could fuck a coconut to this, and it would be consensual and probably the best sex you ever had. I'm only like 3.5% gay, and I'd fuck Maxwell to this. Christ, at 3:06 of "The Suite Theme" he just exhales forcefully into the mic. This dude must be paying child support around the world. I heard that at the end of his shows they release 50k Plan B pills from the ceiling like balloons. Stuart Matthewman (of Sade) is all over this, and it shows. If you want similar (but also more interesting and varied) music that replaces sex themes with love themes, and replaces a sexy male with a sexy female, then reach for Sade. If you want to fuck something, reach for Maxwell (although, Sade works for that too). I much prefer Sade over this in casual listening (Sade is awesome), but this accomplishes what it set out to do perfectly. It just gets stale by the end. 7.5/10

This is the soundtrack of moist Vaginas

An entire album of songs that all managed to sound the exact same. And they sucked.

I did not need to hear this album before I died.

Hey, what's up Cum Knuckles? Fancy joining me for a burger and fries this coming Tuesday? We can put on some Maxwell, talk about our feelings and re-create the Hindenburg disaster.

A very 3 album for me. I kept waiting for some unexpected element to surprise me and draw me in but it never really came. I like most of the arrangements/atmosphere (808s!) but nothing I can really sink my teeth into. Just makes me want to listen to Marvin Gaye.

Sounds like George Michael having a stroke

When the first track kicked in and was pretty smooth, I was wondering what the hell Robert Christgau was smoking—or perhaps more appropriately, what he wasn't—that made him give this one of his "dud" grades, and then the first vocal track started. Maxwell has a fine voice, but not a *fine* voice; I thought Sade's Diamond Life was sexier than this, and certainly better paced. This would make for a pretty good instrumental album to vibe and/or bang to, but almost every track has about 3 minutes of material for its 5 or 6-minute runtime, to the point that there are multiple tracks that sound like they're ending, only to ramp back up for another fruitless minute. I mean, seven whole minutes of Til the Cops Come Knockin', plus a 90-second reprisal at the end of the record? No wonder Public Enemy said 911 was a joke. Key Tracks: The Urban Theme, Suitelady (The Proposal Jam), The Suite Theme

Wow, it's like someone made a big batch of "every-R&B-trope-I-hate" juice and forced me to chug.

A collection of horizontal love songs I’ll likely be hitting and quitting.

Smooth à la limite du kitsch. "'till the cops come knocking" reste le meilleur exemple. On traverse l'album dans un brouillard sexy rythmé par une basse groovy. Parfaitement dispensable mais en même temps tout à fait écoutable

This sounds like joke music

A few nice funky parts but overall very boring r&b/soul. And a terrible album cover.

Very cool album, nice change in pace

Never heard of Maxwell but really enjoyed this. Very mellow.

Just what I needed to listen to today!

Very very good

This... just might be my gateway drug to full-on R&B.

Love it!

fantastically smooth and sensual. impossible not to get into the mood while giving this a listen

Bit like a long bubble bath. Relaxing and smooth has hell, but after a while you get a bit bored.

Nr. 21/1001 The Urban Theme 3/5 Welcome 3/5 Sumthin' Sumthin' 4/5 Ascension 3/5 Dancewitme 3/5 ...Til the Cops Come Knocking 2/5 Whenever Wherever Whatever 3/5 Lonely's The Only Company 2/5 Reunion 2/5 Suitelady 3/5 The Suite Theme 3/5 Average: 2,82 It achieves what it set out to be. Background music for sex. Just remains pretty unremarkable.

Smooth, funky baby-making music. The songs stretch out and groove. They take their time. They don't have anywhere else to be. They're just right here, right now, with you, baby. Dim the lights and let them work their magic.

Kenny G meets '70s elevator music. This is something they should add to the torture arsenal at Guantanamo. 10 minutes of this and I was admitting to everything from being Jack the Ripper to actually being Q.

In the 1990s, people had sex to this sort of music. This probably explains an unfortunate amount about millennials.

As smooth as diarrhea and about as welcome. What the fuck is it doing on this list? Best Tracks: The Urban Theme; Welcome; Sumthin' Sumthin'

Punk smooth r&b

A debut from a twentysomething that is a concept album about a relationship. Sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen. I bought this when it was first released, and it blew me away. It still does. While there are refences to Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Al Green, Maxwell's view is his own. A great listen from start to finish.

This album was part of the neo-soul soul revival. This album, more than any other album brought my attention to modern soul/r&b as not just the stuff I heard on the radio that was all about getting in someone's pants. I mean there is some of that here, it is Maxwell and he is smooth, but this is more of chill at night with someone you care about and want to be close to. It's an album for mature love with smooth rolling bass lines and one of the all time great singers - who is just effortless

A sexy record that makes one want to have sex – more and sexier sex. As good as neo-soul/R&B ever got, and not just 'cos it's a panty dropper, but because it gets damn near everything else right, too.

This is straight-up bang-time music. Red curtains, candles, glasses of wine...yeah, this is great.

favs: "Dancewitme", "Sumthin' Sumthin'", "Whenever Wherever Whatever" least fav: "Reunion"

Йоу, добро пожаловать на Late Night Show Очень стильное классическое R&B, звуки которого я уверен засемпловали с удовольствием. Скачал на плеер, запустил на колоночках и кайфанул

I am a middle aged, straight, white guy. I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant.

Had never heard it and loved it!

a r&b hang out record. Acension is still one of the best songs of the past 30 years. His voice is silky smooth. The height of neo-soul.

super fun - 9/10 maybe this should’ve come out 20 years earlier but I’m not complaining good vibes

my mom had this cd in her collection, its been on my listening list for a minute now. my friend was in my room looking at my cd collection which mostly were given to me from my parents old collection. He was looking and said "Your parents probably conceived you to one of these album". Really funny and gross comment and worst part is, the more I listen to their CDs from their collections its starting to seem likely that he was right. skin crawlingly disgusting to think about and its lowkey kind of ruining the music for me ignoring that this album is so unbelievably smooth. Soul/RNB is at its best when it smooth as hell in my opinion and this album proves me right. He did a call pussy a "Dark World" at one point in the album, so it definitely far from perfect, however its still an enjoyable listening experience. Its a shame I put listening to this CD sooner. im gonna give a 5/5 on this website but it like more of a 4.4987/5 in my opinion and im not gonna elaborate

Amazing album! How did I miss this one when it first dropped? Love the eclectic vibe of soul, a little funk, and R&B.

this is now on regular, workday rotation. great background for cleaning out Outlook...

Now we’re talking! Almost a sin to listen to this on the way to work; it’s a total bedroom album in all the best ways. Panties definitely dropped when you started playing “Welcome” back in the day, lol. I loved this album partly because we were deep in the R. Kelly, “dirty sex” era of music… this was different; sexy not dirty. Probably one of my top Neo Soul albums from the 90s which is saying something; there were a lot of classics to choose from this time. I’d even go so far as saying the 90s Neo Soul movement led by Maxwell, Erkah Badu, Alicia Keys, D’Angelo and several others rivals the 70s soul golden era, easily: 😱😱😱, but I stand by it!

Oh wow! What a groovy album . One may say its repetitive or sounds like a basic 90s R&B album , but that's what I love about it . The funk , the underlying bases , his soothing voice , the dirty but progressive lyrics almost brings a sense of nostalgia . This is a baby making album and is very sexy in nature.

I hear a lot of childish gambino in this project. It was a very smooth album. My Favorite was the saxophone in loves the only company

That was smooooooooooth. Wow! I couldn't help but be swept away by this to be surrounded by incense, wine, and candles. I'm not often a fan of the slow soul, but this was just perfection.

I enjoyed the sultry, sexy vibe of this soulful album. Like a lot of new-to-me artists on this list, its presence highlights some obvious omissions (**paging Barry White**). Still, I very much enjoyed chilling out to this and it lowered my blood pressure several much-needed notches.

5/5. A chill and smooth soul and R&B album with disco elements. I love that the tempo slows with each song, creating a more intimate and sexy album as based on the concept. There is not really a bad song on here with serious and expressive songwriting. The songs are long but such a great album to vibe to.

cool

This album is incredible. Incredibly relaxing and easy to listen to. Only grievance was that it felt slightly too long, I think you could get rid of Reunion and Suitelady and it would be a perfect length.

Sexy bedroom loving music.

Deep neo-soulful night grooves. This, along with Sade, is exactly what my soul needs right now in 2024. So good on first listen. 5 big stars!!

If Mamas Gun was the companion to Voodoo this is the precursor. Jazz influenced R&B which feels both classic and modern at the same time. The title perfectly describes what we hear, as the songs flow seamlessly into each other. My only criticism is that some of the songs are a little too similar to each other but overall this is a great album.

I’ve always loved Maxwell It’s good to know he pioneered Neo Soul

This feels like a mix between hip-hop and jazz, and I loved it. I listened to this album a couple of times, and then let Spotify keep going with similar music, but I heard nothing like this artist. It's great.

This is a gorgeous album.

This is what Neo-Soul is all about. A lot of the original songs I had heard and was never able to identify again. IT'S SEXY, IT'S CLASSIC, IT IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT IN IT'S GENRE

This album holds up! Classic soulful R&B. This will get you laid.

Smooth and funky

A classic album. More jazzy than I remember

sex

1996 - Soul music, Neo soul, Contemporary R&B, Funk, Jazz, Urban contemporary music, Quiet storm, Smooth jazz, Retro-soul

Amazing

This is one of the more influential albums of Neo Soul. If you like D'Angelo you'll like that. And I do. I think Maxwell is even better because his smoothness and lyrical focus makes this a more coherent album that has also some more interesting instrumentation than the first two D'Angelo albums.

Good

L O V E This is music. Happy that everyone that goes through this list has to stop through the groove station. Pure Groove.

Loved this super slick and super chill

Really digging this one as I listen to it.

Great album! So soulful, smooth, funky.

Sexy rnb

What a great piece of work. I wonder how I never hear of him before.

Top Album. Totally Cool.

One of the greatest R&B albums ever made. No other notes.

Superb album a stroke of pure genius the album oozes quality from every note.

This promises a lot on Wikipedia, so I'm ready for the swing and gliding entry of the opening track of The Shagadelic Love Pad, I mean "Urban Hang Suite". you guys hated it, but for me, its grooving sexy beats get more and more mellow and sensual using all the tell tell sounds, until its obviously romance atmosphere music and dimly lit hotel room or rug by the fire scenery comes to mind. I managed until track 10 before It actually felt a bit too cheesy and self conscious, by the time its The Suite Theme is very post coital somnolence. ha, this is so cheesy and cool, and done with such a straight face, that it made me smile. I see why the Algo suggested to play next songs from Marvin Gaye and George Howard (but not Barry WHite, that would have been too much!)

Why I have never heard this before? I don't know if it just didn't get any airplay or land in the UK, but this ought to have been massive. By turns funky and mellow, and the warmness of the production just draws you in. An album you need to listen to in one go.

Smooth a l’os ahaha mais lecoute est bonne et le groove aussi 4

The pinnacle of smoothness.

Another album I've never been exposed to before, but added a number of track to a playlist. "Neo Soul" and really tight musicianship.

An album that's made to have on in the background while hanging out in an urban suite, made by Maxwell... I can't complain, it's exactly what it says in the tin.

Very nice

Pretty soulful early rnb well made, some of the lyrics felt generic and sappy but overall it's really well produced and performed

HL: "Ascension", "Til the Cops Come Knockin'", "Sumthin Sumthin", "Whenever Wherever Whatever" -Unfamiliar with Maxwell prior to today - Something (sumthin) about some prior neo-soul / quiet storm albums I've heard made me think I was pretty ambivalent towards those genres. However I quite liked this -It was kind of a strange vibe mellowing out to this while walking through busy downtown streets. - reading now that some critics describe the Suite as derivative of its influences; eh. While I'm not refuting that, it uses the freshest ingredients from EWF and Marvin Gaye d̶i̶s̶h̶e̶s̶ records **** March 14, 2023

Just a good groovy album, I'm just a sucker for some good bass. I also love hearing some tight envelope filter on "Dancewitme". I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting too. Great way to end my night.

Immediately feelin this, neo soul, bit like D'Angelo, but Stevie Wonder-ish but more smooth. Feels classy, decent chill tunes. Tailed off a bit in the middle and at the end, went a bit wet. Start was still real decent tho. 4/5.

This was actually really nice, very groovy and chill

Uuh niin kotoisaa kuin voi vaan musiikki olla. Lämmintä ja rentouttavaa. Ja kovin tanssittavaa myös! Tämä on tietty turvallisempaa ja yksipuolisempaa kuin vaikka D'Angelon musiikki ja levyn jälkipuolisko jää siksi vähän piippuun. Sanotaan kuitenkin varma 4/5.

mood sexy grand mere (maxwell + tricot)

❓❓

No idea how to describe, but I thought that this is a great album full of underwhelming individual songs. I overuse "vibe" but that's what it is, it's a overwhelming feeling of goodness permeating my daily life. Very pleasant

Súper smúþ R&B. Mjög næs. Algjört Maxwell'n'chill!

Better than I expected - really pretty groovy

Fuck amazing. Smooth when it needs to be smooth, grooves when it needs to groove, and a couple bangers along the way. And it only gets better the longer you listen. “Urban Theme,” “Dancewitme,” “Whenever Wherever Whatever,” “Suitelady,” and “The Suite Theme” are gems.

Chill easy listen, liked it a lot

Perfect album as the weather is heating up, lol. For some reason I feel like driving through a busy city on a Saturday night with my windows down.

So extremely awesome. A bit too long but man. Smooth.

The songwriting is a little bland, but this album grew on me. The production here is superb; one of those albums that you'd use to demonstrate your expensive CD hi-fi in the 90s. It also sounds like this is where Justin Timberlake got a lot of his ideas.

very smooth. easy to listen to, mellow aber nicht boring

Smooth and Funky

This is a very sexy album. 90s R&B bit with that 70s house band tightness. It drops towards the end, but I was very happily surprised that this was as good as it was!