this is the highest cost
take you and make you off
lift you and leave you lost
will you forgive me?
Bad Habits by Maxwell
Thanks Maxwell for bringing back feeling to music, for bringing back soul music. I've read some reviews that want the album to be the typical 12 songs - 60 min plus, or want him to sound like he did, seven years ago. I think that it is ridiculous to expect an artist to remain frozen in time. I absolutely enjoy the first part of the expected trilogy. I absolutely love the way he sounds like what I'm used to hearing from him and how he sounds different in some areas. His falsetto notes are not as sharply distinctive from the lower notes. He sounds more earthy, more real. His younger voice was so fresh and clean and crisp, now he sounds perhaps 'less sweet' but more delicious. I remember when I started listening to Urban Hang Suite and scanning the CD jacket to find out who was the guest singer on the album, only to realize that the man was crazy skilled in range and could sound like several different people. I enjoy his voice now as much as I did then.
And it has taken beautiful music to get me out of my hiatus; not 8 years like him, not 8 months, but a few. I am reminded not to let the art suffer, not to let soul wither and to be true to self always.
I hope my art 'forgives' me after 'dragging it all over town' after 'taking it and making it off' not to mention 'lifting it and leaving it lost'... I hope my characters will let me back in.
So many things sap soul, so many things can destroy the spirit, certainly 'the highest cost' but the universe remains true to its own and I feel lassoed back to where I need to be.
Namaste
