Maxwell slipped his "mellow smooth" to the crowd at Radio City Thursday night, July 31, 1997, turning the place into a river of cool, while somehow managing to set the house on fire all at the same time. Now, this might appear to be a difficult if not impossible task, however, the Suave One seemed to have no problem. I was only surprised to turn around at night's end and not see the joint left in a heap of cinders.

Maxwell appeared on-stage in a lime-green two-piece suit. Within the first few notes of the set opener, "Welcome," I was immediately knocked out by his incredible voice, which has been likened to Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, among others. And Maxwell has some decent moves. One could detect some James Brown, perhaps even a touch of Michael Jackson, in his steps. The stage set looked like something out of a 40's Garbo movie, a gleaming white duplex, surrounded by tall columns, cool and sultry like the Suave One himself.

The next number, "Dancewitme," was highlighted by the presence of Maxwell's elegant backup singer La Tina Webb. Maxwell's show is part concert, part theater. At the end of the number, the Suave One trades a few dance steps with La Tina, kisses her hand, gets a smack in the kisser – the lights go down, the tune ends mid-beat, the crowd roars.

Speaking of the crowd, when the Suave One broke into his trademark falsetto, I looked around and noticed that the ladies were entranced in a manner unseen since Rasputin roamed the Russian countryside. It was a sight to behold. This is not to say that the male segment of the audience did not also thoroughly dig the proceedings.

"My album is not just about having girls feel good," Maxwell says. "I want guys to feel down with me, too – to know that someone is expressing and verifying things they feel." I think I can vouch for the male population when I say Maxwell's music does come across to guys as well as gals. Not only does the music cross sexual boundaries, its classic R&B elements allow it to transcend racial barriers. (Me and the other white guy at the concert wholeheartedly agreed on this).

Maxwell, a 24-year-old native of East New York, is clearly a man at the top of his game. A couple of years ago, upon its completion, the Urban Hang Suite sat on Columbia's shelves for a year (man, are they dumb). Finally, the label came to its senses and released the CD. Since then, it has sold a cool million copies and garnered several awards including a Grammy in '97.

These days, Maxwell is a busy man. A recent MTV Unplugged performance has spawned a new CD and a video of "Whenever Wherever Whatever." At Radio City, Maxwell accentuated this song's ethereal feel by kneeling on a floor pillow while a fog machine, and an array of violet and lavender lights, created a sexy mist around him. This caused the ladies to jump from their seats and emit blood-curdling screams of passion that would have otherwise been mistaken for mass murder had I not known better.

Showing no mercy for these poor women, the Suave One broke into "Suitelady." When he sang, "It's been so long since I had ... yo browns legs rapped around me," I fully expected a riot. Fortunately, there was none. When Maxwell crooned the following lyrics from "Sick and Tired," however, it was a different matter altogether:

When I'm in love I have no ego...
I'll feed you Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch...
I'll paint your every toenail...
I'll go to the grocery store and buy you a box of Tampons...

At this point, the ladies simply went out of control – words cannot describe. All I can say is that I seriously considered getting down on my hands and knees and crawling out of the place, in fear for my life. Alas, it was not necessary. Maxwell kicked into his first single, "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'," and the mellow smooth of the tune took the proceedings down a notch.

For an encore, the Suave One appeared in outfit #3, a knee-length satin jacket over a pastel blue shirt, and sang "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)," during which he careened to opposite sides of the stage to give the crowd a better look. Finally, the Suave One showed some mercy and called it quits. It was a hell of a performance, nearly perfect on every level, although a few oxygen tanks would have been handy for certain select members of the audience.

One quick mention before I hang up the phone, opening act Zhané was excellent in their own accord. One can think of worse ways of beginning the evening than to watch the female duo of Renee Neufville and Jean Norris belting out beautiful harmonies while hopping, strutting and sashaying across the Radio City stage. Check 'em out when you have the chance.