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

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.

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

Sounds like George Michael having a stroke

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.

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

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

Just what I needed to listen to today!

Love it!

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

Very very good

Very cool album, nice change in pace

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.

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.

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.

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

Punk smooth r&b

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'

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

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

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

Sexy rnb

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 and funky

Good

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.

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.

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

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

cool

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

Loved this super slick and super chill

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.

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

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

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!)

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

Great album! So soulful, smooth, funky.

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

Really digging this one as I listen to it.

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

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.

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

sex

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

This is a gorgeous album.

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

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.

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 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

Amazing

Top Album. Totally Cool.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

Had never heard it and loved it!

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

Sexy bedroom loving music.

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.

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!

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

A classic album. More jazzy than I remember

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

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.

Great R&B.

Very nice

Lounge at its peak. Whole thing drips with sex and innuendo in a hilarious way. Would never get away with this on a first date.

Very smooth. I've heard Maxwell before, but never listened to this album.

Pretty cool and sexy, Maxwell is just a classic classy guy with a solid voice. Hard to be mad at him

quite calming :))

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.

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

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.

I remember this being released and a huge buzz around it but not much else - it just wasn't the right time for me to appreciate it... ...as opposed to now: wow - this just hits all the right notes (sure, pun intended). Smooth in the best ways but for me it is rarely boring - tremendous production and musicianship. It took everything I liked about the best Marvin Gaye but this is better - just the right doses of edge that Marvin rarely ever had (e.g. angular guitar lines on "Dancewitme"). Also point of note: while Maxwell the "singer" is clearly the feature here, the music is the big standout for me - the album starts with a great instrumental which sets the tone that this will be not just a vocal album. A great album for its genre, which while not ever going to be my favourite/daily listen it is so well-crafted that it's a keeper. 8/10  4 stars

Apparently Maxwell is credited with establishing the neo-soul genre, and I always think that's so cool when an artist starts a musical trend. I really enjoyed this album...it got a little repetitive to my ears after a while, but his voice is heavenly, and the songs were cool.

Wel dit was aangenaam! In het begin zeker 5 waardig maar daarvoor is het net iets te lang en viel het wat plat naar het einde toe

This music is downright erotic

I have no idea how this dude managed to produce two #1 hits in my lifetime and not ring a bell for me at all, but I enjoyed listening to this album. After a catchy opening it felt a bit slow for a while, but the album definitely grew on me once I hit "Whenever Wherever Whatever" and "Lonely's The Only Company".

Ahhh que chabochito .

A pretty smooth album, for sure, 90's neo-soul at its best. Will get back to it.

The Urban Theme made love to my ears and I never looked back Saved: The Urban Theme, Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)*, Lonely's The Only Company (1&II), Suitelady (The Proposal Jam)

Jazzy and smooth

Better than I expected - really pretty groovy

Du bon R'n'B/soul qui se laisse écouter tout seul. Crée une bonne ambiance détente ou pour créer un mood avec un.e partenaire.

pretty good

An undeniably smooth album that is very easy on the ears. I liked this one quite a bit.

A super-smooth soul album. Incredible production and I could see myself putting it on when I'm in the mood, though it does wash over me a bit without any memorable or stand out moments.

This was a remarkably smooth album. This neo-soul record had tinges of contemporary R&B, funk, and a lot of jazz. The influence of Marvin Gaye especially could be felt. I also heard some Michael Jackson-esque vocal delivery patterns. Overall Maxwell very successfully brought these elements together in a sharp departure from the hip hop centric R&B of the mid 90s.