Maxwell Gets Personal and Performs for VH1's 'Storytellers'

In New York City, in the center of a small, intimate setting, with the audience not too far away from him and the women smiling, slightly mesmerized by his voice, Maxwell performed for VH1's Storytellers which aired yesterday.


I've seen Maxwell perform live in New York and his voice is more beautiful in person. From Brooklyn, New York, Maxwell has been around in the music business for 15 years now and has a way of still connecting with and captivating his audience. He also makes this eye connection with his audience and it's like there's noone else in the room and he's only singing to you.


The females go crazy over him and tonight was no exception as they sung along to his songs. Especially when he started singing his hit, "Whenever, Wherever, Whatever" you can tell he had the ladies caught in a spell. He even switched it up and started singing the song in spanish showing off his half Puerto Rican side.


"I swear I never thought any of this would happen. You dream as a kid and then you just think you're playing make believe and then all of a sudden you're at VH1's Storytellers and everybody is singing along with something that you thought you would be the only one to know and it's such a blessing," Maxwell said.


Storytellers releases a more personal side of the artist who is featured showcasing their music and some interviews. Maxwell said to his audience in the beginning that he tends to be really nervous and shy and tends to be more comfortable behind music.

Maxwell opened up singing "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" from his 1996 neo soul, debut album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suit. 

"Music is not trying to be a formula everytime, it's not a conveyor belt, it's an expression of a moment in time...and it meant so much to be able to be creative, to not have to fit into a box, to be able to stretch, to grow, to show people that soul music is clearly multi-facted and it comes from many places..."

He then slowed it down and made it sexy singing "Bad Habits" ... Make me crazy, don't speak no sound I want you to prove it to me in the nude, addicted to the way you move ...

"Most of what I do is usually a combination of whatever I'm going through, whatever I see out in the world and whatever I want you to make of it," Maxwell said.

He sung "Fistful of Tears" and said that song is inspired by the war and said he can't wait for the troops to come back. 

"It's also about trying to express to someone that is so beautiful and so amazing how great they are when they can't see how great they are."

I wanted him to sing "Woman's Work" but he didn't. But he did sing other hits like "Sumethin' Sumethin'" and "Drowndeep: Hula"

Maxwell says as a kid he would crumble into a ball if one person in a room full of 100 people loving it would feel different.

"It was good because I developed tough skin and I'm okay with opinions now. When someone tells me I'm not able or I can't do something or that won't work it's like the biggest motivation that I can get," he said.

"Haters are haters when they hate. You gotta make sure you're straight when you come back because they like to say stuff," he said as he was talking to the audience. Most likely about returning to the music scene after taking several years off.

Maxwell turned it into one big party towards the end as he walked around the audience singing. He then called some of the ladies to the stage and they danced around him.

His last song of the night was "Pretty Wings" as he dedicated it to the people who have lost and will find love again.