Now is the third studio album by American R&B singer Maxwell. It was released on August 14, 2001, by Columbia Records.[1] Following the lukewarm critical reception of his 1998 record Embrya, Maxwell pursued a different direction while recording Now, abandoning the conceptual style of his previous albums.[2]
Now received positive reviews and became Maxwell's first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 296,000 units in the U.S. in the first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's third single "This Woman's Work", a live staple of Maxwell's,[3] charted at number 58 on the Hot 100 and at number 16 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[4][5]Now was Maxwell's last album before an eight-year hiatus, which culminated in the release of his fourth studio album BLACKsummers'night (2009).[6]
Now received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on 11 reviews.[17] In Entertainment Weekly, Tom Sinclair found Maxwell's New Age spiritual musings to be outside the R&B mainstream and said "as mellowed-out as much of Now is, it's definitely not aural wallpaper, but a cohesive effort that rewards repeated listenings".[10]Boston Herald critic Sarah Rodman said Maxwell had made the "truly terrific" Prince album the artist himself was no longer making while continuing to "distinguish himself from the current glut of overwrought and under- erotic r & b lotharios with his retro, almost absurdly soulful ways".[8] Daryl Easlea from BBC Music highlighted the cover of the 1989 Kate Bush song "This Woman's Work" and deemed the album "grown-up, frequently gorgeous music that epitomises the very best in neo-soul".[18]Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune found Maxwell's lyrics far more straightforward than Embrya's "almost impenetrable" songs, while applauding his ability as a singer to achieve an "enlightened empathy" that "neither panders nor demands" to his fictitious lovers.[19] James Hunter wrote in The Village Voice that Maxwell and Stuart Matthewman had avoided the gratuitous productions of Embrya in favor of more grounded music, against which the singer performed masterfully. "He is, as throughout Now, a soul singer who knows precisely what he's doing", Hunter wrote.[20] Fellow Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave Now an "honorable mention" in his review column, singling out "Temporary Nite", "This Woman's Work", and "Lifetime" as its best songs, while writing that Maxwell "can't outbeat D'Angelo, so he works on outsinging and outsonging him".[21]
In a less enthusiastic review for PopMatters, Mark Anthony Neal said Now was one of 2001's "most accomplished R&B recordings", but qualified his praise by finding some of the music unadventurous and not indicative of the artistic maturity Maxwell seemed to show on Embrya.[1]Miles Marshall Lewis was more critical in LA Weekly, believing the singer was "not Prince" and had regressed musically with Now, throughout which "the quiet storm of Maxwell's signature sound becomes damn near somnolent".[22] Teresa Wiltz of The Washington Post said the record predictably followed his previous albums' formula of "moody musings" on romance and heartbreak, funky musical backdrops, and pleading vocals; Wiltz lamented Maxwell's inability to "stretch beyond his self-imposed limits" on record, as she believed he had "to spectacular effect" at his concerts.[23]
Track listingedit
All tracks are written by Hod David, Stuart Matthewman, and Maxwell (MUSZE) unless otherwise noted
On physical copies, "Get to Know Ya" is separated into two tracks: the first four seconds on track 1, followed by the rest of the song on track 2. The album packaging simply lists the song as track 1, with "Lifetime" as track 3. On digital copies, "Get to Know Ya" is one track, as listed above.
^ abNeal, Mark Anthony. Review: Now. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
^Jones, Steve. "Maxwell Says He's Ready 'Now' to 'Get to Know Ya'". USA Today: D.08. August 20, 2001.
^Leroy, Dan. Review: Now. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
^"The Billboard Hot 100 - Maxwell - This Woman's Work - Chart Listing For The Week Of jun 29 2002". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
^"The Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Maxwell - This Woman's Work - Chart Listing For The Week Of jul 06 2002". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
^Kellman, Andy Review: BLACKsummers'night. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-19.
^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Now. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
^ abRodman, Sarah. "Review: Now". Boston Herald: S.23. August 31, 2001. Archived from the original on 2009-09-25. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
^Berger, Arion (August 30, 2001). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 30, 2001. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
^Puterbaugh, Parke (August 2001). "Music". Sound & Vision. Vol. 66. p. 134.
^Jones, Steve; Gardner, Elysa (August 21, 2001). "Take a chance on Maxwell Branch explores the sound of untainted youth". USA Today. p. D.04. Retrieved October 5, 2016. (subscription required)
^"Reviews for Now by Maxwell". Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
^Easlea, Daryl (July 24, 2012). "Review of Maxwell - Now". BBC Music. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
^Kot, Greg (September 28, 2001). "Neo-soul grows and grooves". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
^Hunter, James. Review: Now. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
^Christgau, Robert (September 18, 2001). "Consumer Guide: Minstrels All". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
^Wiltz, Teresa. "Review: Now". The Washington Post: C.01. August 22, 2001. Archived from the original on 2009-09-25. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
maxwell, album, third, studio, album, american, singer, maxwell, released, august, 2001, columbia, records, following, lukewarm, critical, reception, 1998, record, embrya, maxwell, pursued, different, direction, while, recording, abandoning, conceptual, style,. Now is the third studio album by American R amp B singer Maxwell It was released on August 14 2001 by Columbia Records 1 Following the lukewarm critical reception of his 1998 record Embrya Maxwell pursued a different direction while recording Now abandoning the conceptual style of his previous albums 2 NowStudio album by MaxwellReleasedAugust 14 2001Recorded2000 01GenreR amp B neo soulLength50 15LabelColumbiaProducerMUSZE Maxwell Maxwell chronologyEmbrya 1998 Now 2001 BLACKsummers night 2009 Singles from Now Get to Know Ya Released February 15 2001 Lifetime Released October 16 2001 This Woman s Work Released January 15 2002 Now received positive reviews and became Maxwell s first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 selling over 296 000 units in the U S in the first week according to Nielsen SoundScan and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA The album s third single This Woman s Work a live staple of Maxwell s 3 charted at number 58 on the Hot 100 and at number 16 on the Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs chart 4 5 Now was Maxwell s last album before an eight year hiatus which culminated in the release of his fourth studio album BLACKsummers night 2009 6 Contents 1 Critical reception 2 Track listing 3 Personnel 4 Chart positions 4 1 Weekly charts 4 2 Year end charts 5 Certifications 6 References 7 External linksCritical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 7 Boston Herald nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 8 Encyclopedia of Popular Music nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 9 Entertainment WeeklyA 10 Los Angeles Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 11 Mixmag nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 12 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 13 Rolling Stone nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 14 Sound amp Vision nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 15 USA Today nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 16 Now received generally positive reviews from critics At Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications the album received an average score of 78 based on 11 reviews 17 In Entertainment Weekly Tom Sinclair found Maxwell s New Age spiritual musings to be outside the R amp B mainstream and said as mellowed out as much of Now is it s definitely not aural wallpaper but a cohesive effort that rewards repeated listenings 10 Boston Herald critic Sarah Rodman said Maxwell had made the truly terrific Prince album the artist himself was no longer making while continuing to distinguish himself from the current glut of overwrought and under erotic r amp b lotharios with his retro almost absurdly soulful ways 8 Daryl Easlea from BBC Music highlighted the cover of the 1989 Kate Bush song This Woman s Work and deemed the album grown up frequently gorgeous music that epitomises the very best in neo soul 18 Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune found Maxwell s lyrics far more straightforward than Embrya s almost impenetrable songs while applauding his ability as a singer to achieve an enlightened empathy that neither panders nor demands to his fictitious lovers 19 James Hunter wrote in The Village Voice that Maxwell and Stuart Matthewman had avoided the gratuitous productions of Embrya in favor of more grounded music against which the singer performed masterfully He is as throughout Now a soul singer who knows precisely what he s doing Hunter wrote 20 Fellow Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave Now an honorable mention in his review column singling out Temporary Nite This Woman s Work and Lifetime as its best songs while writing that Maxwell can t outbeat D Angelo so he works on outsinging and outsonging him 21 In a less enthusiastic review for PopMatters Mark Anthony Neal said Now was one of 2001 s most accomplished R amp B recordings but qualified his praise by finding some of the music unadventurous and not indicative of the artistic maturity Maxwell seemed to show on Embrya 1 Miles Marshall Lewis was more critical in LA Weekly believing the singer was not Prince and had regressed musically with Now throughout which the quiet storm of Maxwell s signature sound becomes damn near somnolent 22 Teresa Wiltz of The Washington Post said the record predictably followed his previous albums formula of moody musings on romance and heartbreak funky musical backdrops and pleading vocals Wiltz lamented Maxwell s inability to stretch beyond his self imposed limits on record as she believed he had to spectacular effect at his concerts 23 Track listing editAll tracks are written by Hod David Stuart Matthewman and Maxwell MUSZE unless otherwise notedNo TitleWriter s Length1 Get to Know Ya 4 222 Lifetime 5 293 W As My Girl 3 114 Changed 4 075 NoOne 4 416 For Lovers Only 3 417 Temporary Nite 4 228 Silently 5 209 Symptom Unknown 5 3710 This Woman s Work Kate Bush4 0011 Now At the Party 5 25Total length 50 15 On physical copies Get to Know Ya is separated into two tracks the first four seconds on track 1 followed by the rest of the song on track 2 The album packaging simply lists the song as track 1 with Lifetime as track 3 On digital copies Get to Know Ya is one track as listed above Personnel editAdapted from AllMusic 24 David A Belgrave marketing Mitchell Cohen A amp R Maxwell drum programming horn arrangements producer credited as musze Michael Bland drums David Blumberg harp arrangement string arrangements Bruce Bouton pedal steel Steve Conover assistant engineer Tom Coyne mastering Hod David bass drum programming guitar keyboards Andy Davies engineer Bill Esses engineer Paul J Falcone drum programming engineer Pro Tools Mark Fellows editing Clark Gayton trombone Drew Griffiths engineer Jason Groucott assistant engineer Bashiri Johnson percussion Eric Johnson photography Tony Maserati engineer Steve Mazur engineer Daniel Milazzo assistant engineer Michael Neal bass John O Mahoney assistant engineer Flip Osman assistant engineer Matt Owens art direction Mike Pela engineer pro Tools Federico Pena keyboards Larry Phillabaum engineer pro Tools Chris Ribando engineer Andre Roberson horn arrangements saxophone Iain Roberton engineer Tom Schick engineer Etienne Stadwijk keyboards Wah Wah Watson guitarChart positions editWeekly charts edit Chart 2001 Peakposition Australian Albums ARIA 25 32 Canadian Albums Nielsen SoundScan 26 21 Dutch Albums Album Top 100 27 27 French Albums SNEP 28 32 German Albums Offizielle Top 100 29 58 Norwegian Albums VG lista 30 35 Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 31 12 Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 32 64 UK Albums OCC 33 46 UK R amp B Albums OCC 34 5 US Billboard 200 35 1 US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 36 1 Year end charts edit Chart 2001 Position Canadian R amp B Albums Nielsen SoundScan 37 65 US Billboard 200 38 88 US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 39 23 Chart 2002 Position US Billboard 200 40 178 US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 41 47Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units sales United States RIAA 42 Platinum 1 000 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone References edit a b Neal Mark Anthony Review Now PopMatters Retrieved on 2009 09 25 Jones Steve Maxwell Says He s Ready Now to Get to Know Ya USA Today D 08 August 20 2001 Leroy Dan Review Now Yahoo Music Retrieved on 2009 09 25 The Billboard Hot 100 Maxwell This Woman s Work Chart Listing For The Week Of jun 29 2002 Billboard Retrieved 15 February 2009 The Billboard Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Maxwell This Woman s Work Chart Listing For The Week Of jul 06 2002 Billboard Retrieved 15 February 2009 Kellman Andy Review BLACKsummers night Allmusic Retrieved on 2009 07 19 Erlewine Stephen Thomas Review Now Allmusic Retrieved on 2009 09 25 a b Rodman Sarah Review Now Boston Herald S 23 August 31 2001 Archived from the original on 2009 09 25 Transcription of original review at talk page Larkin Colin 2006 Maxwell The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Vol 5 4th ed MUZE p 582 ISBN 0195313739 a b Sinclair Tom Now Entertainment Weekly Retrieved on 2022 05 30 Weingarten Marc Review Now Los Angeles Times Retrieved on 2009 09 25 Review Mixmag October 2001 p 177 Reviews Q October 2001 p 127 Berger Arion August 30 2001 Recordings Maxwell Now 3 Stars Rolling Stone Archived from the original on August 30 2001 Retrieved October 5 2016 Puterbaugh Parke August 2001 Music Sound amp Vision Vol 66 p 134 Jones Steve Gardner Elysa August 21 2001 Take a chance on Maxwell Branch explores the sound of untainted youth USA Today p D 04 Retrieved October 5 2016 subscription required Reviews for Now by Maxwell Metacritic Retrieved October 5 2016 Easlea Daryl July 24 2012 Review of Maxwell Now BBC Music Retrieved May 12 2013 Kot Greg September 28 2001 Neo soul grows and grooves Chicago Tribune Retrieved October 5 2016 Hunter James Review Now The Village Voice Retrieved on 2009 09 25 Christgau Robert September 18 2001 Consumer Guide Minstrels All The Village Voice Retrieved October 5 2016 Lewis Miles Marshall September 12 2001 Now s the Time LA Weekly Retrieved October 5 2016 Wiltz Teresa Review Now The Washington Post C 01 August 22 2001 Archived from the original on 2009 09 25 Transcription of original review at talk page Now Maxwell Credits AllMusic AllMusic Retrieved 9 December 2016 Australiancharts com Maxwell Now Hung Medien Retrieved August 6 2020 Albums Top 100 Jam September 6 2001 Archived from the original on December 14 2004 Retrieved April 13 2023 Dutchcharts nl Maxwell Now in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved August 6 2020 Lescharts com Maxwell Now Hung Medien Retrieved August 6 2020 Offiziellecharts de Maxwell Now in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved August 6 2020 Norwegiancharts com Maxwell Now Hung Medien Retrieved August 6 2020 Swedishcharts com Maxwell Now Hung Medien Retrieved August 6 2020 Swisscharts com Maxwell Now Hung Medien Retrieved August 6 2020 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved August 6 2020 Official R amp B Albums Chart Top 40 Official Charts Company Retrieved February 8 2023 Maxwell Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved August 6 2020 Maxwell Chart History Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Retrieved August 6 2020 Canada s Top 200 R amp B albums of 2001 Jam January 8 2002 Archived from the original on November 22 2002 Retrieved January 22 2023 Top Billboard 200 Albums Year End 2001 Billboard Retrieved August 6 2020 Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Year End 2001 Billboard Retrieved August 6 2020 Top Billboard 200 Albums Year End 2002 Billboard Retrieved August 6 2020 Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Year End 2002 Billboard Retrieved August 6 2020 American album certifications Maxwell Now Recording Industry Association of America External links editNow at Discogs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Now Maxwell album amp oldid 1223318847, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
