>I hope somebody can write down a review of a Maxwell gig because I'm curious
>how his live perfomances are.. Talking about live, I think Red Snapper is
very good live but their records are always a bit disappointing. It's often
the other way around. Any other bands that are much better live then recorded?
No problem. Maxwell was in Houston on October the 13th and I had to write an
article about this concert (which was actually a honor because of the show).
Here it is:
MAXWELL - The Rebirth of Soul
I remember listening to my favourite soul show on Germany's premier Black
music channel, Jam FM, just 1 year ago. Kenny B., the host of the show,
played a pre-release of Maxwell's "Sumthin' Sumthin'", and afterwards
received a flood of telephone calls. Kenny B. did what he has never done
before on his show. He played the song twice. 10 months later, after the
release of his debut album, "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite", the 22-year-old
singer was at Rockefellers to give his first live perfomance in Houston. The
expectations were high, but he fulfilled them completely.
As expected, Rockefellers was sold out and the first row packed with
beautiful girls ready to throw their underwear on the stage. After the band
played "The Urban Theme", the right groove to set the scene for Maxwell, he
entered the place wearing a tight dark suit. It was the beginning of a
perfect show with marvelous soul grooves and smooth love songs, played by an
incredible 8-piece band. The concert repertoire included new versions of
some songs of his album and, of course, Maxwell was there with his rare
movements, mellow vocals and wordly wisdoms (e.g. "Before you tell something
stupid to a lady, tell the truth!"). It is really difficult to list all the
highlights of the show here, but standout tracks were "Sumthin' Sumthin'"
with a long slow intro and the 20-minute version of my favourite Maxwell
song, "Ascension (Don't ever wonder)". Though the concert was over before I
was ready to leave, Maxwell left a warm feeling in my heart. I felt that I
had heard the best old-fashioned soul concert in a long time and that I
"needed a girl to love". I am sure that Maxwell is on the way to super
stardom on the soul scene.
[MG]
His show was really awesome and it is no wonder that his concerts are
completely sold out. By the way, Maxwell was at the North Sea Jazz Festival
in Den Haag this year. Have you been there, Jeroen? If not, don't miss it
next year!
Peace, Gilbert