Maxwell Songs Download Mp3
Beatris Gopin
Initially influenced by early-1980s urban R&B, Maxwell progressed rapidly, and by 1991 he was performing on the New York City club scene. Maxwell was able to gain access to a 24-track recording studio and started to record songs for a demo tape, which he circulated among his friends.[17] The demo engendered interest, and his official debut concert performance at Manhattan nightclub Nell's drew a crowd.[17] During the next two years, Maxwell wrote and recorded over three hundred songs and played frequently at small venues throughout New York City.[16] Maxwell's performances continued to draw interest and increase the buzz about him, and he was called "the next Prince" by a writer from Vibe magazine who attended one of his shows.[17] After earning a considerable reputation, Maxwell signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1994. He adopted his middle name as a moniker out of respect for his family's privacy.[14]
Maxwell released a series of EPs featuring different versions of his songs from Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, including "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'", "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", "Whenever Wherever Whatever" and "Sumthin' Sumthin'". These EPs were re-released in 2019.[32] "Sumthin' Sumthin': Mellosmoothe" appeared on the Loves Jones soundtrack in March 1997.
Despite Maxwell's having released only one album, the music video television channel MTV saw his burgeoning popularity and asked him to tape an episode of the concert series MTV Unplugged in New York City. The show was taped live on June 15, 1997, and he performed his own songs as well as covers of songs by Kate Bush ("This Woman's Work") and Nine Inch Nails ("Closer").[33] (Maxwell clashed with his label about the release of a full album of his session, resulting in the release of only an extended play, or EP instead,[34] containing seven songs.) The MTV Unplugged performance of "...Til the Cops Come Knockin" was included as a bonus track on the international release. The episode of MTV Unplugged first aired on the network on July 22, 1997.[35]
Maxwell's second studio album, Embrya, was released on June 30, 1998, and upon its release it was panned by contemporary music critics.[36] The album received mixed criticism for its more "indulgent sound."[14] With its internal focus and esoteric grooves, the album served as a departure for Maxwell, who did not regret risking his reputation with urban listeners for a more challenging record.[36] The album experienced a critical backlash similar to that of other artists' work that broke their previous releases' successful formulas in favor of more compelling projects, now being termed "neo-soul."[37] In 1999, it won the Soul Train Music Award for Best Male Soul/R&B Album.[38] In a retrospective review for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Maxwell "overstuffs his songs with ideas that lead nowhere" and called Embrya "a bit of a sophomore stumble, albeit one with promising moments." Arion Berger, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), found the songs monotonous and called the album "unfocused and pretentious ... full of overwrought, underwritten songs with obscure, fancy titles revolving around a sort of sexual gnosticism."[39] Critics have since reappraised Embrya as a groundbreaking forerunner to later trends in Alternative R&B, and Columbia Records reissued the album in 2018 on its 20th Anniversary.[40]
Now, Maxwell's third album, was released on August 14, 2001 on Columbia Records in the United States. Following the lukewarm radio success of his previous album, Maxwell has stated he felt more comfortable with his artistic direction in the creation of his new album, which does not exhibit his previous work's conceptual style.[43] The album sold over 296,000 units in the U.S. in the first week, according to SoundScan, to earn him his first-ever number one album. The album was later certified platinum by the RIAA. "Lifetime" was the second single from the album. It was a top five hit on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[44] The third single off the album, "This Woman's Work", a live staple of Maxwell's,[45] charted at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 16 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[46][47] Once again, despite some criticism towards Maxwell's songwriting,[48][49][50] La Weekly stated "Now is a disappointment in the wake of 1996's Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite and its 1998 follow-up, Embrya."[48] Now received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 78/100 from Metacritic.[51]The album was Maxwell's last release before he took a lengthy hiatus from performing.
From David Bowie's swan song to Beyonce's call to arms, Anohni's war lament to Frank Ocean's return, 2016 was a year of big artists making big statements. These are our picks for the best songs of the year.
I started working third shift a few months ago and have been listening to your calming live streams while trying to adjust to sleeping during the day. I recognize many of the songs in this collection, and am so glad to know you wrote the ones I remember and have enjoyed so much! I was privileged to hear you play live a few times (Club Soda), and hope to be able to do so again someday. You are a marvelous entertainer! Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with the world! Chuck Cooper
This collection includes several examples of the music of cowgirl musician Billie Maxwell and her father's White Mountain Orchestra from Nutrioso, Arizona. Billie Maxwell's songs are solo recordings while the instrumental numbers are performed by the orchestra.
760c119bf3