Anyone who has seen Maxwell perform live knows that it is an experience. That experience always includes breathtaking live renditions of his beloved tracks. But it also usually includes him taking on a few soul classics that have the audience eating out of his hand. One song that usually ends up in his setlist is Al Green’s timeless love song “Simply Beautiful.” After giving us a behind-the-scenes look of him finally committing his version of the song to wax, Max has finally released the song to the masses.
Maxwell is no stranger to a cover, so you know that he knows how to keep the balance of staying true to the nature of a song while adding his own sauce. He approaches “Simply Beautiful” with the same care, keeping the base of the instrumentation similar to its origins. He fleshes it out, however, with horns, additional string arrangements, layered backing vocals as he fashions it into his style.
The new additions might turn off someone who enjoyed the spare, more personal interpretation that Green offered. The additions here are lovingly crafted, though, with each note, chord and detail given the utmost care as Maxwell brings the listener into his lair and allows them to luxuriate in the song’s beauty. That, paired with his earnest performance, makes this a cover that we think the singer-songwriter should be damned proud of.
We’d like to assume that this means his long-awaited blacksummers’NIGHT project is on its way and that this stunner will be included on the tracklist. However, you already know that Max likes to keep us guessing. So, with that, we’ll just sit back and enjoy this musical blessing and hope that there’s more where it came from.
Listen to Maxwell’s take on “Simply Beautiful” and watch the song’s understated visualizer when you head below.
