Maxwell stopped by NPR‘s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to perform for its Tiny Desk Concert series.
The legendary singer performed a delightful 30-minute set of some of his signature songs.
Dressed in a sheer white shirt with embroidered star patterns, matching white pants and a gold chain necklace, Maxwell opened with “Sumthin’ Sumthin’” from his 1996 debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. Toward the end of the number, Darrell “Free” Freeman delivered a groove-filled solo on the bass.
Maxwell then time-hopped to the 2000s with classics like “Bad Habits” and “Pretty Wings” from 2009’s BLACKsummers’night and “Lifetime” from 2001’s Now.
“We’re going to do a song that celebrates a singular voice, a singular soul sensation — not always mentioned, not always spoken of, but truly, truly should be celebrated, Mr. Al Green,” Maxwell said before singing his rendition of Green’s “Simply Beautiful.”
After his astounding cover, which is also his latest single, Maxwell sealed the show with “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).”
Maxwell’s Tiny Desk Concert comes weeks ahead of his Serenade Tour, which begins Sept. 14 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The 27-city tour will make stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, and more before concluding Oct. 27 at Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
R&B vocalists Jazmine Sullivan and October London will join Maxwell as special guests through the duration of the tour.
As noted above, Maxwell released “Simply Beautiful” as a standalone single on Aug. 2. He produced the track with his longtime collaborators Hod David and Shedrick Mitchell. The two were also apart of Maxwell’s Tiny Desk show, with Mitchell on the keys and David on the guitar.
“The first time I heard Al Green’s music, I was amaze,” Maxwell previously stated. “He is such an icon, I mean what a brilliant musician and songwriter. It’s been an honor to get in the studio and record one of his songs.”
“Simply Beautiful” is Maxwell’s first single since 2021’s “OFF,” which at the time was the lead single from his long-awaited blacksummers’NIGHT. The silky bedroom track spent two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart in April 2022, tallying Maxwell’s eighth chart-topper.
In February 2025, he will host his second annual Urban Hang Suite Cruise. The five-night voyage, with stops in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, will feature star-studded performances from Maxwell, Anthony Hamilton, Marsha Ambrosius, Lalah Hathaway, Terrace Martin, Avery*Sunshine, and others.
Watch Maxwell’s Tiny Desk Concert performance below.
Maxwell’s Tiny Desk Concert Setlist
“Sumthin’ Sumthin’”
“Bad Habits”
“Lifetime”
“Pretty Wings”
“Simply Beautiful”
“Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)”
Musicians
Background Vocalist – LaTina Webb
Background Vocalist – Aaron Marcellus
Bass – Darrell Freeman
Drums – Darryl Howell
Guitar – Hod David
Keys – Travis Sayles
Musical Director / Keys – Shedrick Mitchell
Percussions – Charles Haynes