Throwbacks: Maxwell - Now

When Maxwell dropped Embrya in 1998, the watery, high-concept R&B left a lot of critics scratching their heads. Three years later, he abandoned the heavy mythology. On August 14, 2001, Columbia Records released Now, and he finally stripped everything down to the raw groove. He linked back up with Stuart Matthewman—who brought the autoharp, banjo, and mellotron—while Maxwell handled the drum programming under his Musze alias. They built a pocket so deep you could live in it.

"Lifetime" is the undeniable anchor. The snare snaps right on the downbeat while Maxwell’s falsetto glides over the top. Honestly, Now is a better front-to-back listen than Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. It lacks the shiny debut narrative, but the songwriting is infinitely sharper. Plus, his take on "This Woman’s Work" completely erases the Kate Bush original. He owns that song now. The pivot paid off instantly. Now became his first Billboard 200 number one, moving over 296,000 units in its first week. He proved his staying power. Hit play below.