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.

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.

This is the soundtrack of moist Vaginas

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

This sounds like joke music

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

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

Surprisingly good. May listen again.

This style of smooth jazz / soul / r&b has never gelled for me. I get the value that fans have and know that Maxwell is amongst the best but can't speak to much more than that. However the musicians on this album lay down a very fine funk. 3/5

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

It's Brand New Heavies, it's D'Angelo, it's slow mo videos of sexy ladies in satin walking through rustic swinging doors into a dimly lit room with candles and a freestanding bath, it's cadburys flake, it's a glass of pinot on a Sunday night. It's souless, advert music. I will never - never - intentionally listen to this insipid lounge music again.

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'

I had never heard of Maxwell and I'd never heard any of these songs before now, but this was absolutely awesome. The grooves were so deliciously funky and groovy, the vocals were absolutely amazing, and the production quality was stellar. All of the instrumentation (bass, drums, sax, guitar, keys) were top notch and I was just grooving to it the entire time. This was easily one of the best collections of new (to me) music I've heard in a long time and it totally blew me away. The album was plenty long, but I listened to it twice because I just loved it that much. Five stars easily.

Smooth as hell

Smooth like butter, and soulful like pie.

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.

*4.5 stars* niiiiiice! read the reviews before listening and can't say i was disappointed. smooth, sexy, and groovy are perfect ways to put it. personally thought it was like a cross between michael jackson, george michael, and sade in the best way. although i still prefer sade, i'm definitely coming back to this! knocking off half a star because of slight repetitiveness

This is a gorgeous album.

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

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

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

Very cool album, nice change in pace

Very very good

Love it!

Just what I needed to listen to today!

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

This isn’t exactly my go-to genre, but if more contemporary soul and R&B were like this, I’d definitely enjoy it more. The newer, more aggressive R&B often loses the essence of what soul and R&B were originally about. That said, this album is incredibly laid-back, smooth, and lush, with a sensual atmosphere and polished, glossy production.

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

The bassist from this album needs a raise. Every bass line is outrageous, it's the background and forefront of every second of every song ..til The Cops Come Knockin.. so funky, so good. The middle section with the ballads in a row kinda stops the momentum. Still good songs, but just loses the flow a little.

Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite Lynn, these are sex people I vaguely remember Maxwell, and this is the sort of thing I would have really hated in the 90s. I’m more open to this sort of thing now, and there are parts to this I really enjoyed, but it suffers from being the type of music that, due to how seriously it takes itself, has been so extensively parodied that it’s hard to remember to take it completely seriously. Eg Til the Cops Come Knockin’ is utterly Lonely Island. I also don’t know enough 90s R’n’B or Neo Soul to know where this sits in the oeuvre. I do like his voice, it's obviously very Michael Jackson influenced, but it does have a lovely smooth tone and feel. The percussion and bass are also nice, again a very smooth, clearly very 70s soul influenced sound, and they do have a great pocket and groove on most of the tracks, and the organs and keyboards also maintain that retro feel. The guitars however aren’t good at all, (which is quite mad when you see who played on this) they don’t sound 70s or retro at all, they sound incredibly cheesy, and a lot like Garageband loops from 2004. Which is quit It’s obviously a very different album from Good Old Boys, but I have a similar feeling that individually or in small doses many of the songs here are enjoyably listenable, but in its entirety it doesn’t quite work and the sex message gets rather laboured. Despite the guitars I liked Welcome and Ascension is really good, a nice overbite bit of 90s funk-soul. Dancewitme is probably the stand out track for me, a great groove with a nice bit of energy. Suitelady, despite some of the unintentionally funny lyrics and guitar, is also a nice bit of slowed down groove, and I didn’t mind the closing Suite Theme at, despite it teetering on the edge of complete cheese with the sax and whispered vocals. I didn’t hate this, and quite enjoyed it in parts. It’s not something I would ever have chosen to listen to, but I’m ultimately glad I did. I may not revisit it that often, but it feels like a solid sex album in the 90s R’n’B genre, so I’ll go for a smooth and buttery but goes on too long 3. (Also, is Maxwell’s Hang Suite just Maxwell’s House? If so he’s missed out on a potentially lucrative marketing opportunity with Maxwell House coffee) 🍬🍬🍬 Playlist submission: Dancewitme

Bang Bang Maxwells Urban Hangsuite

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.

Background music, at best

One listen was enough and that was a struggle. Not my bag baby. Enjoyed reading everyone else's comments.

Feels like the kind of thing Americans get excited about. There's some talent in there and trappings of intrigue but it forgets to be exciting in any way. Cafe music but not really suitable for a cafe

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.

I guess the purpose of music like this is to put on while having sex? Do people really do that? I'd feel like something out of an awful moving putting this on. Also this sucks.

Punk smooth r&b

Ugh!! So good. Gorgeous and funky! Sick bass lines, groovy keyboards, multiple horns!! Breezy, floating vocals. This is everything.

Love the album, it gives driving in a lowrider, chill and relaxing, gives nostalgic and throwback music you find from your parents or grandparents, and you end up loving it. The only issue is that the songs are lengthy, about 5 to 6 minutes each, and there's not much diversity in the songs and album, but I like that it is all a similar vibe, so it depends on the type of person you are.

I bought it on release and have listened to it hundreds of times since then. An album I know very well. I absolutely love every single track. It's the sort of album that sounds better with every listen, and it definitely sounds better if you listen to the full album in order.

Absolutely stellar vibe.

Groovy, baby.

Amazing electronic/soul/r&b mix - like James brown but modern.

One of my faves.

Right off the cuff, i'm loving the groove. Good album to play when you're spending some time with that special lady.

AHHHH this came out in '96 and thus began the massive crush on Maxwell...he reignited R&B soul crooning - the next Teddy P - I was at a Maxwell show and the women were literally !! throwing their panties on the stage. I LOVE this album and still listen to it. Fantastic sound vibe groove 1st 4 tracks are blissfully gorgeous for me, love him!

Good vibes all round - making love til the cops knock a very funny concept

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 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 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

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

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

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