Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite | ||||
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Studio album by Maxwell | ||||
Released | April 2, 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1994–95 | |||
Studio | Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City; and CRC in Chicago | |||
Genre | R&B, neo soul, soul | |||
Length | 64:47 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Maxwell, Peter Mokran, Stuart Matthewman | |||
Maxwell chronology | ||||
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Singles from Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
The Guardian | |
Los Angeles Times | |
MusicHound R&B | 4/5 |
Q | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Urban Latino |
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the debut album by American R&B singer Maxwell. It was released on April 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. Maxwell recorded the album between 1994 and 1995 at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City, and CRC Studios in Chicago. The record's music features a mellow, groove-based sound with elements of funk, jazz, smooth soul, and quiet storm. A concept album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was composed as a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance, based in part on Maxwell's personal experiences.
Although Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was not an immediate commercial success, it was helped by the release of its second single "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)". Eventually becoming a million-seller, the album was also a success with critics, who praised it as a departure from the mainstream, hip hop-oriented R&B of the time, while earning Maxwell several accolades and comparisons to soul singers of the past, particularly Marvin Gaye and Prince.
The success of Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite elevated Maxwell's reputation to that of a sex symbol and a notable performer in the music industry. He was credited with shaping the "neo soul" movement of musicians that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with D'Angelo's Brown Sugar (1995) and Erykah Badu's Baduizm (1997), the album provided commercial exposure to neo soul and has since been cited by several critics as Maxwell's greatest work.