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Now(Maxwell album)

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Now
Studio albumby
Maxwell
ReleasedAugust 14, 2001
Recorded2000–01
Genre
Length50:15
LabelColumbia
ProducerMUSZE (Maxwell)
Maxwellchronology
Embrya
(1998) 		Now
(2001) 		BLACKsummers'night
(2009)
SinglesfromNow
  1. "Get to Know Ya"
    Released: February 15, 2001
  2. "Lifetime"
    Released: October 16, 2001
  3. "This Woman's Work"
    Released: January 15, 2002

Nowis the thirdstudio albumby AmericanR&BsingerMaxwell.It was released on August 14, 2001, byColumbia Records.[1]Following the lukewarm critical reception of his 1998 recordEmbrya,Maxwell pursued a different direction while recordingNow,abandoning the conceptual style of his previous albums.[2]

Nowreceived positive reviews and became Maxwell's first album to reach number one on theBillboard200,selling over 296,000 units in the U.S. in the first week, according toNielsen SoundScan,and was later certified platinum by theRecording 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 theHot 100and at number 16 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songschart.[4][5]Nowwas Maxwell's last album before an eight-year hiatus, which culminated in the release of his fourth studio albumBLACKsummers'night(2009).[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Boston Herald[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[9]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
Mixmag[12]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Sound & Vision[15]
USA Today[16]

Nowreceived generally positive reviews from critics. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received anaveragescore of 78, based on 11 reviews.[17]InEntertainment Weekly,Tom Sinclair found Maxwell'sNew Agespiritual musings to be outside the R&B mainstream and said "as mellowed-out as much ofNowis, it's definitely not aural wallpaper, but a cohesive effort that rewards repeated listenings ".[10]Boston Heraldcritic Sarah Rodman said Maxwell had made the "truly terrific"Princealbum 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 fromBBC Musichighlighted the cover of the 1989Kate Bushsong "This Woman's Work"and deemed the album" grown-up, frequently gorgeous music that epitomises the very best in neo-soul ".[18]Greg Kotfrom theChicago Tribunefound Maxwell's lyrics far more straightforward thanEmbrya'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 inThe Village Voicethat Maxwell andStuart Matthewmanhad avoided the gratuitous productions ofEmbryain favor of more grounded music, against which the singer performed masterfully. "He is, as throughoutNow,a soul singer who knows precisely what he's doing ", Hunter wrote.[20]FellowVillage VoicecriticRobert ChristgaugaveNowan "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 forPopMatters,Mark Anthony NealsaidNowwas 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 onEmbrya.[1]Miles Marshall Lewiswas more critical inLA Weekly,believing the singer was "not Prince" and had regressed musically withNow,throughout which "the quiet storm of Maxwell's signature sound becomes damn near somnolent".[22]Teresa Wiltz ofThe Washington Postsaid 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

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All tracks are written by Hod David, Stuart Matthewman, and Maxwell (MUSZE) unless otherwise noted

No.TitleLength
1."Get to Know Ya"4:22
2."Lifetime"5:29
3."W/As My Girl"3:11
4."Changed"4:07
5."NoOne"4:41
6."For Lovers Only"3:41
7."Temporary Nite"4:22
8."Silently"5:20
9."Symptom Unknown"5:37
10."This Woman's Work"4:00
11."Now/At the Party" "5:25
Total 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

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Adapted from AllMusic.[24]

  • David A. Belgrave – marketing
  • Mitchell Cohen –A&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– guitar

Chart positions

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[42] Platinum 1,000,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^abNeal, Mark Anthony.Review:Now.PopMatters.Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  2. ^Jones, Steve. "Maxwell Says He's Ready 'Now' to 'Get to Know Ya'".USA Today:D.08. August 20, 2001.
  3. ^Leroy, Dan.Review:Now.Yahoo! Music.Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  4. ^"The Billboard Hot 100 - Maxwell - This Woman's Work - Chart Listing For The Week Of jun 29 2002".Billboard.Retrieved15 February2009.
  5. ^"The Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Maxwell - This Woman's Work - Chart Listing For The Week Of jul 06 2002".Billboard.Retrieved15 February2009.
  6. ^Kellman, AndyReview:BLACKsummers'night.Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-19.
  7. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas.Review:Now.Allmusic.Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  8. ^abRodman, Sarah. "Review:Now".Boston Herald:S.23. August 31, 2001. Archived fromthe original[dead link‍]on 2009-09-25. (Transcription of original review attalk page)
  9. ^Larkin, Colin(2006). "Maxwell".The Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Vol. 5 (4th ed.). MUZE. p. 582.ISBN0195313739.
  10. ^abSinclair, Tom.Now.Entertainment Weekly.Retrieved on 2022-05-30.
  11. ^Weingarten, Marc.Review:Now.Los Angeles Times.Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  12. ^"Review".Mixmag.October 2001. p. 177.
  13. ^"Reviews".Q.October 2001. p. 127.
  14. ^Berger, Arion (August 30, 2001)."Recordings: Maxwell, Now, 3 Stars".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon August 30, 2001.RetrievedOctober 5,2016.
  15. ^Puterbaugh, Parke (August 2001). "Music".Sound & Vision.Vol. 66. p. 134.
  16. ^Jones, Steve; Gardner, Elysa (August 21, 2001)."Take a chance on Maxwell Branch explores the sound of untainted youth".USA Today.p. D.04.RetrievedOctober 5,2016.(subscription required)
  17. ^"Reviews for Now by Maxwell".Metacritic.RetrievedOctober 5,2016.
  18. ^Easlea, Daryl (July 24, 2012)."Review of Maxwell - Now".BBC Music.RetrievedMay 12,2013.
  19. ^Kot, Greg(September 28, 2001)."Neo-soul grows and grooves".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedOctober 5,2016.
  20. ^Hunter, James.Review:Now.The Village Voice.Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  21. ^Christgau, Robert(September 18, 2001)."Consumer Guide: Minstrels All".The Village Voice.RetrievedOctober 5,2016.
  22. ^Lewis, Miles Marshall(September 12, 2001)."Now's the Time?".LA Weekly.RetrievedOctober 5,2016.
  23. ^Wiltz, Teresa. "Review:Now".The Washington Post:C.01. August 22, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-09-25. (Transcription of original review attalk page)
  24. ^"Now – Maxwell | Credits | AllMusic".AllMusic.Retrieved9 December2016.
  25. ^"Australiancharts – Maxwell – Now".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  26. ^"Albums: Top 100".Jam!.September 6, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2004.RetrievedApril 13,2023.
  27. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Maxwell – Now"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  28. ^"Lescharts – Maxwell – Now".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  29. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Maxwell – Now"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  30. ^"Norwegiancharts – Maxwell – Now".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  31. ^"Swedishcharts – Maxwell – Now".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  32. ^"Swisscharts – Maxwell – Now".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  33. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  34. ^"Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  35. ^"Maxwell Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  36. ^"Maxwell Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  37. ^"Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001".Jam!.January 8, 2002. Archived fromthe originalon November 22, 2002.RetrievedJanuary 22,2023.
  38. ^"Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 6,2020.
  39. ^"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 6,2020.
  40. ^"Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 6,2020.
  41. ^"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 6,2020.
  42. ^"American album certifications – Maxwell – Now".Recording Industry Association of America.
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