In the mid-to-late ’90s, a new wave of music swelled, peaked, and broke the boundaries of pop music, flooding our ears with a delicious sound that was reminiscent of the ’60s and ’70s, even as it evolved.

It was simply called neo-soul. But like most music labels, this easily digestible moniker didn’t do justice to the stylistic breadth of those painted by its brush. Even within the groups that came together in the industry – most notably Erykah Badu and D’Angelo, members of a loose Questlove-led coalition called the Soulquarians – there were clearly noticeable differences.

Maxwell, another prominent founder of the genre, differed in that his work was generally considered to have more mainstream appeal. From the start, sophisticated, calm Storm-style production and straightforward, clearly lovelorn lyrics have been the standouts of the New York native’s songs.

Essentially, Maxwell’s work adhered the most of any neo-soul artist to the tropes of ’80s and ’90s R&B, tropes that the genre ostensibly wanted to reinvent or discard but that music fans still couldn’t get enough of (and can). . And that’s exactly what you’ll hear Urban Hang Suite EPswhich contain remixes and alternative versions of previous hits, B-sides and MTV Unplugged Appearances, radio edits, etc., taken from Maxwell’s 1996 debut album of the same name.

Urban Hang Suite EPs essentially acts as a refresher course on Maxwell before his latest album Night Trilogy (the first two are BLACKsummers’night 2009 and blackSUMMERs’night 2016) is released. And although the release date of this album is unknown, one of its singles, shamewill be released as various remixes on a separate EP.

For the die-hard fan, there’s plenty to enjoy Urban slope EPs. However, not so much for casual listeners who may find it difficult to muster up the enthusiasm for a deep dive into all this hot, sex-charged Maxwellia.

The shame EP, on the other hand, barely registers, no matter how much you care about the artist: it’s the kind of music that seems designed to keep you company in an H&M dressing room, as catchy and generic as the clothes, that you try on. Is it representative of the yet unreleased album? We can’t say that yet.

As you look at this EP collection, one more question may come to mind: “When will D’Angelo get back in the studio?”

SHAME 508 RMX EP

Matt Fink lives and works in Brooklyn. For more information about his work, visit organgrind.com.

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