New Age soul seems like a terrible tag to hang on anyone's music, but Maxwell is just begging for it with his latest album, the ballad-heavy Now. Dreamy keyboards, delicate guitar filigrees, and sultry bass lines weave throughout the songs, which are laced with platitudes like ''I can move to the light/If I take it one day at a time.'' That lyric is from ''Lifetime,'' which Maxwell has said is partly about ''living out your karma.'' The album's press release says that Maxwell has ''integrated meditation, musings and readings'' into his new tunes; he could well have named the album Funky Ashram.
As mellowed-out as much of Now is, it's definitely not aural wallpaper, but a cohesive effort that rewards repeated listenings -- a veritable slow jam-boree. Tracks such as ''W/as My Girl'' (with its surprising pedal steel guitar, courtesy of Shania Twain sideman Bruce Bouton) and the lovely ''Changed'' seem like long-lost old-school classics, while the version of Kate Bush's ''This Woman's Work'' is a pure gift. His angelic falsetto conjures an image of a man in a state of perpetual grace. Even on the relatively up-tempo tracks -- the horn-enhanced ''Get to Know Ya,'' the laid-back funk workout ''Now/At the Party'' -- Maxwell sounds as if he's singing from a hot tub in heaven.
Now represents a velvet-lined gauntlet thrown at the feet of today's bling-bling-obsessed R&B pack. Who'll pick it up is anyone's guess. But seekers of musical truth(s) can meditate on these key questions: Does modern pop leave you thirsting for spiritual sustenance? Is the mind/body dichotomy (not to mention the love/lust one) driv-ing you insane? Then meet Maxwell on the astral plane. Now.
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.