Now! That's what I call Soul!!

# 22 Maxwell - Now

D'angelo had his naked video. R. Kelly had record sales...and his own naked video (with a minor). Maxwell is just good, old-fashioned solid soul music. His 2001 release "Now" has been the last we've seen of him, but if it happened to be his swang song then it wasn't a bad way to go. Two dance tracks bookend Now: "Get to Know Ya" and "Now/At the Party," but the Kate Bush cover "This Woman's Work" seals this album as a very strong album. Though not as flashy or troubled as his contemporaries, Maxwell is far more talented, deftly offering the best of dance and "slow jams" (I love that phrase)than one could find on a greatest hits compilation of D'Angelo, R. Kelly, Nate Dogg, Clay Aiken and others.

In 1997, Maxwell made an MTV Unplugged appearance (who didn't?) and covered NIN's "Closer." The end result sounds something like a funked-out Gospel number. Strange, I know, but clearly indicative of Maxwell's creativity and limitless influences.

Best Track: "This Woman's Work"