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 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 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 the soundtrack of moist Vaginas

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

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

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.

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

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.

This sounds like joke music

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.

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

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

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

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

Very cool album, nice change in pace

Very very good

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

Love it!

Just what I needed to listen to today!

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

A classic album. More jazzy than I remember

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

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.

Sexy bedroom loving music.

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

Had never heard it and loved it!

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.

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!!

Top Album. Totally Cool.

Amazing

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 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 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.

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

This is a gorgeous album.

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

sex

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

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.

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

Really digging this one as I listen to it.

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

Great album! So soulful, smooth, funky.

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!)

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

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

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.

Loved this super slick and super chill

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

cool

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

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

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.

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.

Good

Smooth and funky

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.

Sexy rnb

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

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

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

Funky!

that's good romance music

Silky smooth. Will check out Maxwells other albums

Great vocalist. Basic rhythm. Great overall? No.

Hit or miss tracks on this one

Groovy tunes

Have already spun this record many many times. Love the sound of the singles and the production credits of one of Sade's producers helps round out the sound but something's missing in the full product. Theres an infectiousness to the singles that's lost in the full product. Bedroom music can sometimes be background music. Both a compliment and an insult

What a nice album! Hits just the right spot for me. Really funky, nice basslines, lots of electric piano and nice guitar fills. What is there not to like? I just found the album overall nice to listen through. Strongest songs are probably 'Urban Theme', 'Sumthin' Sumthin' and 'Ascension', but the thing I missed the most was a real banger that clearly stands out and you can put on repeat. Luckily all songs are just nice to listen to, and I can definitely see myself put on this whole record when working or something.

very very vibey

Cooles Album mit chilliger Musik. Der Interpret kommt auf meine Beobachtungsliste

I think that there is something to be said for an album that has a fully formed concept of what it wants to be and executes that vision flawlessly. Now, clearly the vision that Maxwell had for this album was Midnight Love-era Marvin Gaye (which I typically do not enjoy), a little bit of Prince, and sounds leaning a little closer to Kenny G than I’m typically okay with, but dammit did he hit his fucking mark. It is hard to dislike an album that does what it sets out to do this well.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo okayy, this is something special. This is some real nu-wave funk, and i LOVE it, im sitting here just absolutely grooving to this album. What an incredible voice maxwell has, what infectious funky beats he can make, this is truly a treat to listen to this album for the first time ever. The only downside is some of the songs just go on for a little too long, i dont think any song should come close to the 7 minute mark, thats overstaying your welcome just a little bit. After finishing the album, some of the songs arent as good lol. But still this album is a banger! Fav Song:Dancewitme (but honestly the first 5 songs of the album are all fantastic) 4

Went into this album having never heard of Maxwell. I was pleasantly surprised- a neo-soul album with a lot of jazz influence. Maxwell's voice is pleasant and powerful- he has an impressive range. The instrumentation varied from dominant to supportive. Overall a solid album- good songs but did drag a little but at parts (sometimes a little too sappy for me). I could see this being a great weekend morning album

Super solid album. Good grooves. Nice flow.

Smooth, soulful, never boring.

Ein bisschen Funk, ein bisschen Soul und R&B

I have never heard of this artist before now, having listened to, and enjoyed a lot, this album im inclined to find out more and listen to other albums of theirs. A mellow and laid back vibe I got right into if from the first track.

Pretty cool. I like it. Nice mix of genres.

7/10. It gave me Michael Jackson vibes. It had a nice, mellow, and groovy vibe, but it was a bit too underwhelming for me personally. :)

Smooth tunes for romancing. Maxwell has an incredibly lush voice.

I enjoyed this album Good vibe and seems really talented

"Ascension" was already a favorite. R&B classic, not something I'd listen to very often but quality.

This album took me to a fancy seafood dinner, then never called me again.

A suprise great r&b record!