Posted on 10/13/2008
He was well worth the wait. Four score and seven years ago, well actually just 7 years ago, a bright eyed and bushy-headed young man strolled onto the R&B scene with his pitch perfect falsetto and free-flying 'fro, blazing the trail for new millennium romance. Four albums later, just as quietly as he appeared, Maxwell was gone. In the time since, fans scoured the Internet for any tidbit they could on the long-rumored new album, Black Summer's Night, song titles, leaks, new photos, anything. Now, there's still no album release date, but something even better to satisfy the starving: a tour.



Philly phenom Jazmine Sullivan laid the groundwork for a night of powerful soul as she howled out lyrics from her first album Fearless. Though she’s been touted as the new Lauryn Hill, the passion and depth of her vocals were more akin to Mavis Staples, making for an interesting contrast as this serious, aged voice skipped around the stage singing “Bust Your Windows” and “One Night Stand.” Even standing still, her voice captivated as she sang “Lions, Tigers & Bears” nearly a cappella. Closing with her best known single, “Need U Bad,” gave the band a chance to play around with a slightly different interpretation and Sullivan one last opportunity to flex her vocal muscle.  Make sure to check out her new album, Fearless, which is in stores now.

Maxwell took the stage at Radio City Music Hall Thursday night to a seemingly never-ending wave of screams and applause. Before he sang a note, the mostly female crowd was on its feet, hopping up and down, swaying back and forth, yelling at the top of their lungs at their resurrected heartthrob. A mini-bandstand was erected with stairs leading down to the stage, creating the feel of an old Harlem nightclub. At the top, Maxwell stood amidst the 9-piece band in a basic black suit, crisp white shirt and an undone bowtie lying loosely around his collar -Black Sinatra in full effect. Maxwell proved to be a one man Rat Pack, coolly stroking the audience's emotions at every step, pumping them up for his new work and exceeding their energy as they enjoyed his classics. Any afraid that the new Maxwell would be ‘too artistic’ to do the songs that put him on the map saw early on that would not be the case as he rattled off three favorites from Now, “Get to Know Ya,” “No One” and “Lifetime.” In the mix was also “Fortunate,” “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” for his first encore and “Whenever Wherever Whatever” as part of his second encore. A beautiful lighting display accompanied his show, particularly evident as he performed “This Woman’s Work” with a silhouette of Maxwell earnestly singing his tribute to Kate Bush appearing on the wall to the side of the audience.

Playing the smooth host of the coolest party in Midtown didn’t stop Maxwell from getting on the floor to grind with the mic stand, mimic Michael Jackson’s spastic neck and arm movements or dropping for an impressive split during “Sumthin’ Sumthin’.” He toned down his BET Awards performance of Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful” to make it as slow and seductive as the original and added a few lyrics to shout out the “cornbread, corn-fed girls.” He may have gotten more than he bargained for when one of those cornbread-eaters threw their extra large tighty-whities onstage (at Maxwell’s request).

At first, folks needed to warm up to the fact that he wasn’t just going to do a greatest hits show, so the reception to “Pretty Wings” (about love at the wrong time), was a bit lukewarm. Maxwell took it in stride, acknowledging that he too is guilty of wanting artists to “play what I know, play what I bought” as he went into “Bad Habits.” The crowd-pleaser and show closer was “Cold” with its funky drumbeats and Latin flavor. This was the closest Maxwell came to re-creating the innovative vibe of “Closer” from his MTV Unplugged (Live) album. Though he said he and the band were just trying some things on the spot, any mistakes made went unnoticed by the audience and only added to the looseness of the moment. Throughout the show, Maxwell thanked his hometown crowd for welcoming him so warmly and showed his appreciation by calling down the entire band and his lone female back-up singer stage center to introduce themselves. At the end, they all took a theater bow and exited. Over an hour after he began, it was over, but with his next show in NYC in November, at least you know he won't be away too long.

- Candace L.


Check out our exclusive photos from the night featuring Maxwell and Jazmine Sullivan shot by Terrence Jennings.



Make sure you catch Maxwell and Jazmine Sullivan on the road together. 
See below for a full listing of tourdates.

Oct 8 Boston/Opera House
Oct 9 New York/Radio City Music Hall
Oct 10 Wallingford/Chevrolet Theatre
Oct 12 Toronto/Massey Theatre
Oct 14 Cincinnati/The Taft Theatre
Oct 15 St. Louis/Fox Theatre
Oct 17 Indianapolis/Murat Theater
Oct 18 Chicago/Chicago Theater
Oct 19 Detroit/Fox Theatre
Oct 21 Minneapolis/Orpheum Theater
Oct 22 Omaha/Music Hall
Oct 23 Kansas City/Uptown Theatre
Oct 25 Denver/Paramount Theatre
Oct 28 Oakland/Paramount Theatre
Oct 31 Las Vegas/Pearl
Nov 1 Los Angeles/Shrine Auditorium
Nov 6 Houston/Verizon Theatre
Nov 8 Dallas/Majestic Theatre
Nov 10 Birmingham/BJCC Hall
Nov 11 Memphis/Orpheum Theater
Nov 12 Atlanta/Civic Center
Nov 14 Greensboro/Coliseum Theatre
Nov 15 Richmond/Landmark Theatre
Nov 17 Washington DC/Constitution Hall
Nov 21 Philadephia/Susquehanna Center