The number one complaint made by critics about Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is that the album reaches a musical climax and then dissolves into a few ballads that the listener almost forgets are on. What the critics fail to realize is that the album is a concept with the feel of the music following the story line. This alone is remarkable considering that concept albums in the 1990's are unheard of. The story line and sound of the music is especially surprising in the case of a musician who was previously unknown.

     Urban Hang Suite was reportedly inspired by women whom Maxwell had a romantic encounter with. The character, on the album, meets a woman, spends time with her for a weekend, proposes to her and ends with the woman leaving him forever. Maxwell claims the story is autobiographical, although there is no way to ever know if there is truth to the encounter. Regardless, the album's soulful; almost 70's sound, perfectly captures the story.

     The album begins with the instrumental, "The Urban Theme." Co-written by popular Motown session player Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Ragin, the song starts with the sound of vinyl hissing on an old record player. Upbeat, Melvin's guitar playing holds the rhythm together as the bass line goes along rhythmically with the guitar. Augmenting the song is a Fender Rhodes piano sound and a harmony provided by the horns. The song almost invites the listener to be a part of the story.

     "Welcome" is segued into by "The Urban Theme," almost bypassing the usual pause in between songs. The song is almost a mysterious continuation of the opening instrumental. Maxwell's laid-back soulful vocals seem to whisper for his counterpart in the story to join him. This time the bass carries the rhythm and the guitar line merely adds a pleasant backdrop to the song. Certainly, Stuart Matthewman, currently a member of Sade's tour band as well as his own Sweetback, contributed a great deal to the song, as there is a strong presence of percussion and horns.

     The slap-bass line in "Sumthin' Sumthin'" leads the upbeat number. The guitar line and claps on the downbeats adds to the mix, making the song rather funky. The Rhodes piano is also used on this number, giving it a tinge of vintage 70's soul. The harmony on the chorus is particularly catchy, making it one of the strongest tracks on the album. Toward the middle of the song there is a nice instrumental break where the rhythm keyboards, guitar and almost all the vocals drop out. This is a successful break, not overindulging the instrumentation as many young artists do.

     "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" is a mid-tempo song with a fluid rhythm. The drums are almost disco, but not enough to accuse it of trying to recapture that era. The driving bass line is once again the predominant instrument rounding out the rhythm. Again, the Fender Rhodes sound is used as the rhythm keyboard. The guitar line in the song is subtle and almost solos throughout the number in the backdrop. The vocals are a real treat on this number as Maxwell ascends to levels of maturity.

Quite interesting is "Dancewitme." The song jumps off the album and is quite unique, almost eerie. The rhythm is led by a drum machine pattern that might have been lifted from the late 80's and augmented by a bass line that is all over the place. The vocals are drowned in reverb and sound as though they float into the instruments at times. The keyboards are notable because it is one of the few times on the album that the Rhodes is not used. The guitar playing is excellent, splashed on top of the other instruments. Here and there, an electric guitar can be heard in the mix, but most of the time a slight wah sound is used.      The Rhodes piano returns to act as the lead instrument in "…Til The Cops Come Knockin'." This time, a keyboard bass line is used in favor of the live bass line used on other tracks. The sound really fits the song, though. Again, guitar is used here and there to augment the song with some effects thrown on for some interesting sounds. Some electric keyboard overdubs also serve their purpose, adding to the overall environment of the song.

     Beautiful is the only word to describe "Whenever Wherever Whatever." The ballad is sparse with just Maxwell, an acoustic guitar and some keyboard accompaniment. The song pleads with the woman in the story not to leave. The acoustic guitar playing serves as the perfect backdrop to Maxwell's heartfelt vocals. The song manages to build throughout with some subtle instrumental alterations. For instance, the keyboard strings grow in intensity as the song advances.

     It is at this point in the album that I feel many critics have overlooked the concept of the album. The main character, at this juncture, has pleaded with his love to stay and she has left. A number of critics claim that the album falls off, but "Lonely's The Only Company (I & II)" does an excellent job of articulating the feelings of the character. Maxwell could have easily thrown an upbeat number in at this time to appease the critics, however, if he had the credibility of the concept would have been shot. The second half of the song is a wonderful instrumental portion led by an emotional sax solo. "Reunion," also a slower track, continues on the theme of lost love. Both songs have subtle drum machine lines with the bass merely holding the bottom end.

     "Suitelady (The Proposal Jam)" does, somewhat, bring the mood of the album back up a bit. The vocals on this track are quite heartfelt and the key to the change. Almost angry, Maxwell digs deep to conjure up images of his emotions at the point in the story. The drum machine leads a predominant bass line through the song. The keyboards serve as a nice backdrop for Maxwell's vocals to take center stage. "The Suite Theme," which is a slower variation of "The Urban Theme," closes the album. The sound is led by a sax solo, which has similar emotion to the solo near the end of "Lonely's The Only Company." This song does an excellent job of closing the door on the story line. It is slow, but has an almost optimistic feel to it. The first time I listened to Urban Hang Suite, I just assumed the album was over. The ballads at the end left me in an almost trance-like state that was awakened by an extended portion of "The Suite Theme" several minutes later. The extended portion is an instrumental variation of "…Til The Cops Come Knockin," a nice addition.