Embrya
Encyclopedia
Embyra is the second studio album
by R&B
and neo soul
musician Maxwell
, released June 30, 1998 on Columbia Records
. As with his previous album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
, Maxwell collaborated with Stuart Matthewman, a long-time cohort of Sade
. With a lesser jazz emphasis, Embrya continues the trend towards heavy basslines and string arrangements, and it focuses on themes such as love and spirituality. However, the album features more of an emphasis on groove than melodies. Its production sound contains bassy, electronic and slight syncopated beats.
Maxwell has defined the album's title as "an approaching growing transition thought to be contained but destined for broader perception." Upon its release, Embrya was met generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
, losing to Erykah Badu's
Baduizm
(1997). In 1999, it won the Soul Train Music Award for Best Male Soul/R&B Album.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
musician Maxwell
Maxwell (musician)
Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
, released June 30, 1998 on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. As with his previous album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the debut album of American recording artist Maxwell, released April 2, 1996 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1994 to 1995 at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City and...
, Maxwell collaborated with Stuart Matthewman, a long-time cohort of Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
. With a lesser jazz emphasis, Embrya continues the trend towards heavy basslines and string arrangements, and it focuses on themes such as love and spirituality. However, the album features more of an emphasis on groove than melodies. Its production sound contains bassy, electronic and slight syncopated beats.
Maxwell has defined the album's title as "an approaching growing transition thought to be contained but destined for broader perception." Upon its release, Embrya was met generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre...
, losing to Erykah Badu's
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
Baduizm
Baduizm
Baduizm is the debut album of R&B and neo soul musician Erykah Badu, released February 11, 1997 on Kedar Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during January to October 1996 at Battery Studios in New York City, Sigma Sounds & Ivory Studios in Philadelphia, and Dallas Sound Lab in...
(1997). In 1999, it won the Soul Train Music Award for Best Male Soul/R&B Album.
Track listing
All songs written by Musze (Maxwell) unless otherwise noted.- "Gestation: Mythos" (pre-gap track; rewind from track 1 to find) [3:11}
- "Everwanting: To Want You To Want" [7:30]
- "I'm You: You Are Me And We Are You (Pt. Me & You)" [6:31]
- "Luxury: Cococure" [5:30]
- "Drowndeep: Hula" (Stuart Matthewman, Musze) [5:39]
- "Matrimony: Maybe You" [4:37]
- "Arroz Con Pollo" [2:55]
- "Know These Things: Shouldn't You" (Matthewman, Musze) [5:14]
- "Submerge: Til We Become The Sun" [6:24]
- "Gravity: Pushing To Pull" (Matthewman, Musze) [6:11]
- "Eachhoureachsecondeachminuteeachday: Of My Life" [5:51]
- "Embrya" [3:04]
Chart history
| Chart (1998) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| The Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... (U.S.) |
3 |
External links
- Embrya at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...