What grants an R&B artist the ability to produce songs that truly capture the essence of its genre? Nowadays many feel that music has taken a turn for the worst, a turn for the easy way out. Many feel most artists have hopped on the bandwagon that is music today. Music that has lost the meaning it used to hold in its lyrics and atmosphere it created. Instead of creating music that pushes the envelope and creates astonishing works of art, we wind up with music that is meaningless, dry, and just seems to play off the latest trend. Fortunately there is a genre that has saved the day. This genre that had been derived from blues in the 1940’s and later morphed into Rhythm and Blues in the 1950’s. It has not only been constantly improving but has produced artists who stay loyal to the art of making this wonderful music. Artist ranging from old school juggernauts like Ray Charles and Ruth Brown to present artist like Maxwell and R Kelly who create hit after hit of music that not only entertains but moves us as well. In order to achieve a decision as to who is the best male R&B artist in the last decade one must follow a three step set of criteria.
Step one: a true Rhythm and Blues artist should capture the unique sound that defines an R&B song. Many times one listens to a mixture of all kinds of music often not being able to tell some genres apart from others. This is one of the major mistake artists make. They tend to take the easy way out and not take many risks with their music by following the latest trend. By doing so they sometimes get away from what makes them great. Step two; a great R&B artist usually creates songs that have a similar topic. Either it’s about love, grief, or a mixture of the two. Songs range from wanting to pick up the pieces an ex lover created, to songs about the grief of a loved one who left or even passed away. Not applying to all artists, there is some rebuttal critics may have about R&B artists’ not staying true to the classic genre that is R&B. If an artist were to venture out and sing about how much money he has and how many women he can squeeze into his expensive car, it becomes another genre. Unlike how the following verse, “If I can’t have you let love set you free to fly your pretty wings” by Maxwell clearly is a soulful, very well thought out verse that embodies Rhythm and Blues. Lastly step three; a great artist must be able to not only write great songs but must be able to perform his work in a way that converts them from just words on paper to an emotionally moving song. These are three simple but vary vital steps to take into consideration when choosing who is the best male R&B artist of the last decade.
With these criteria I have come to the conclusion that Maxwell is the best male R&B artist of the last decade. A prime example of why is the song “Pretty Wings” deriving from Maxwell’s latest album “Black Summers Night” that is currently ranked 37 on the Billboard chart. Despite currently being ranked 37 this song peaked at Number 1 on August 15th 2009 all through till November 14th 2009. This song embodies what is to be a great song. It has love, grief, and moving lyrics to express it, all jam packed into one. This song stays true to the genre by creating the unique sound that many of us can recognize. Right from the start this unique sound creates an astonishing atmosphere that allows the listener to not only enjoy the songs but also prepares the audience ready for his next ability; the ability Maxwell holds to create songs that make us feel or be moved. The type of song that makes the audience feel the love and grief that he expresses not only from understanding the meaning of his lyrics but by the way he performs them. As Maxwell showed when he sang “Oh, you played me dirty; your game was so bad. You toyed with my affliction; had to fill out my prescription. Found the remedy; I had to set you free”. Later he continues to say “Away from me to see clearly; the way that love can be when you are not with me; I had to leave, I had to live”. These lyrics along with the way he performs them clearly paints a picture in the audience’s mind as to why he had to get out of a his bad relationship. Despite his uncanny talent there are still some who question whether or not Maxwell is truly the best male R&B artist of the last decade. Regardless of what some of these critics think Maxwell definitely sets himself apart from the rest by completely achieving all the criteria unlike many artists today.
When trying to figure out who the best male R&B artists of the last decade came to mind the first two artists that popped into my head were R Kelly and Maxwell. On one hand you have R Kelly, a Grammy award winner with “six #1 albums, 11 #1 singles, and 12 consecutive platinum albums” and on the other you have Maxwell, a multi-platinum artist with a Billboard R
&B hit of the year award. Despite R Kelly seeming like the better artists on paper one must take to mind that he tends to get away from the classic R&B genre. Both have been moguls in this business that we call music. Both have had hit after hit of revolutionary music. Unfortunately despite both of them being very talented R Kelly just didn’t fulfill the criteria as well as Maxwell. Yes R Kelly creates many songs that have that unique sound that we are all familiar with, but that is not always case. In R Kelly’s song “I’m a flirt” he performs a song that despite being considered an R&B song one can plainly see that the song has ventured off into more of hip hop type genre by its hip hop beat, atmosphere and lyrical content. On top of that when one listens and processes the song it is obvious that instead of singing about love or grief it’s more about him not being able to help himself around women because of his flirtatiousness. Finally, due to the fact that this song “I’m a flirt” does indeed venture off the classic R&B specifications by the content of the lyrics and the hip hop feel, it does not achieve the third criteria either. The criteria that state a true R&B song must be emotionally moving and not be just a song that is upbeat. Since this is the case, when trying to name a champion there was no way I could hand the title to R K
elly. Not when another artist deserves the honor.
Unlike R Kelly, Maxwell has always stayed 100 percent true to what is R&B with songs like “pretty wings”, “Fistful of Tears”, and Fortunate”. His soulful toned performances of love and grief that always seem to move his audience is what ultimately earned him the title of best male R&B artist of the last decade. This keeps the hopes up of many who are afraid of the corruption of this unbelievable genre; the corruption that would deface decades’ worth of beautiful lyrics and soulful feel. With artists as devoted as Maxwell to conserving the artistry of R&B this genre will continue to be a definite force to be reckoned with in the music industry.
"Maxwell." Billboard.com. Billboard, n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2010.
"Biography." r-kelly.com. Zomba Recordings, 2010. Web. 6 Apr 2010.
"Maxwell: pretty wings lyrics." metrolyrics.com. Metro Leap media, n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2010.
"R. Kelly: Im a Flirt Lyrics." metrolyrics.com. Metro Leap media, n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2010.
