Review Summary: Maxwell's magnum opus Embrya is a neo soul/funk album that was released in 1998. The album got negative reviews initially but is now considered a classic. This album was truly ahead of its time.
Embrya was the follow up to Maxwell's debut masterpiece Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. Embrya was a completely different album from Urban Hang Suite, emphasizing funky basslines and groove over jazzy melodies. The lyrics were also much more esoteric and spiritual. Embrya was not as successful as Urban Hang Suite, critically or commercially, with a lot of listeners being confounded by the lyrics and mood of the album. However, Embrya has gotten a critical reappraisal in recent times and is rightly viewed as one of his best works.
The sequencing of Embrya is interesting too. Five of the first six songs are uptempo funk records, with Drowndeep: Hula being the only ballad. I really enjoy all the songs on the first half of the album. My favorites are: "Everwanting: To Want You to Want, "Drowndeep: Hula", and "Matrimony: Maybe You". "Everwanting: To Want You To Want" has a really funky, catchy bassline, with exquisite Maxwell vocals to go along with it. "Drowndeep: Hula" is one of my favorite ballads of all time; it is a classic neo-soul record influenced by Hawaiian styles. It starts of really slow and builds up to some heavenly Maxwell vocals. The chorus of the song is indescribably beautiful and awe-inspiring with Maxwell and the background vocalists singing "Hula, hula, let's drowndeep in us... in us, in us." There is a short guitar chord progression that is played near the end of the song which is simply majestic. "Matrimony: Maybe You is a dynamite funk jam that could easily fit on Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall". The song opens with some phenomenal guitar playing and the funky bassline immediately kicks in. The lyrics pertain to Maxwell contemplating a marriage proposal for his lady love. Maxwell does some of his greatest singing on this song; his gorgeous falsetto and impassioned ad-libs near the end of the song are simply spine-tingling. "Matrimony: Maybe You immediately segways into "Arroz Con Pollo", a funky instrumental without any vocals. "Arroz Con Pollo" is very much like "The Urban Theme" on Urban Hang Suite. The other two tracks are: "I'm You: You are Me and We Are Us" and "Luxury: Cococure". Both these records are dynamite funk jams that are incredibly catchy. On "I'm You...", Maxwell sings the first verse in Spanish, which is really cool to me.
The last half of the album is mostly ballads with Gravity: Pushing To Pull being the only record that is more uptempo. My favorite tracks of the last half are "Gravity: Pushing To Pull and "Eachhoureachseconeachminuteeachday: Of My Life". "Gravity..." is an alternative funk record with a unique groove. There are also cool vocal effects on Maxwell's voice that make it seem like he is submerged underwater while singing this song."Eachhoureachsecond..." is a classic neo-soul/funk ballad with Maxwell singing most of the song in his falsetto register. Maxwell's falsetto is simply amazing and really enhances the quality of this track. "Know These Things: Shouldn't You" and "Submerge: Till We Become The Sun" are both sweet ballads that are a nice counterbalance to the invigorating funk on the first half of the album. I especially like the saxophone solo near the end of "Know These Things...". It really surprised me because the the song is an atmospheric acoustic track. "Embrya" and "Gestation: Mythos" are short, chopped up instrumentals that finish of the album on an interesting note.
Overall, this is my favorite Maxwell album. Really a classic neo-soul album in my view. I honestly don't understand how music critics derided this album so much. Even if you don't get the lyrics, the grooves, instrumentation, and vocals on this album are simply flawless. I am glad that people have come to appreciate this album for the masterpiece it truly is. This album has aged like the finest wine. I just wish it was better received when it was first released.
