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''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' is the debut album of American recording artist Maxwell, released on April 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1994 to 1995 at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City and CRC Studios in Chicago. The album contains a mellow, groove-based sound and incorporates elements of funk, jazz, smooth soul, and quiet storm. A concept album, ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' is composed of a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance, which Maxwell based on his own personal experience. After being shelved for nearly a year, due to label issues and record executives' doubts of its sales potential, the album was released to considerable commercial and critical success. Despite an initial lack of mainstream interest, ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' experienced a boost in sales with the help of the single "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", and within a year it had sold one million copies. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised it as a departure from the mainstream-oriented R&B of the time, and it earned Maxwell several accolades and comparisons to soul singer Marvin Gaye. ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' had a considerable impact on Maxwell's career, helping elevate his reputation to that of a sex symbol and a serious performer on the music scene. Maxwell has been credited with shaping the "neo soul" movement that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with D'Angelo's ''Brown Sugar'' (1995) and Erykah Badu's ''Baduizm'' (1997), ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' has been recognized by music writers for providing commercial visibility to neo soul. It has been cited by critics as Maxwell's greatest work and remains as his best-selling release with domestic shipments of two million copies. ==Background== After receiving a low-cost Casio keyboard from a friend, Brooklyn, New York-native Maxwell began composing material at age 17.〔Huey, Steve. (Maxwell: Biography ). Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.〕 Raised in the borough's East New York-section, Maxwell's previous musical experience included his beginnings as a singer in the congregation of his Baptist church,〔 which had become an integral part of his life after the death of his father in a plane crash.〔Brennan (2002), pp. 132–133.〕 Already a fan of what he described as "jheri curl soul", which was the trademark of early 1980s R&B acts such as Patrice Rushen, S.O.S. Band and Rose Royce, Maxwell began to teach himself to play a variety of instruments.〔 According to him, the R&B of the early 1980s contained "the perfect combination of computerized instrumentation with a live feel", and that the genre's dynamics later became lost due to the influence of hip hop on R&B.〔Adams (1998), pp. 172–173.〕 Despite facing ridicule from classmates for being shy and awkward, he progressed and continued to develop his musical abilities.〔 At 19, Maxwell began performing throughout the New York club circuit while supporting himself by waiting tables during the day.〔 He 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.〔 The demo engendered interest, and his official debut concert performance at Manhattan nightclub Nell's drew a crowd.〔 During the next two years, Maxwell wrote and recorded over three hundred songs and played frequently at small venues throughout New York City.〔 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.〔 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.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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