Maxwell, Bad Habits | Midnight Heat

In the 93rd edition of Midnight Heat (2024), we explore the naughty, sexy vibes behind “Bad Habits” by Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Maxwell.

Ah, bring on Midnight Heat ! Wait – it is not usually hot at midnight! Well, it is steaming hot at midnight when it comes to this naughty, innuendo, and sex-laden column featuring songs intended for nighttime. We are talking about that after-dark type $hi†, ya dig? These risqué, unapologetic records often raise eyebrows and temperature alike. In the 93^rd edition of Midnight Heat (2024), we explore the naughty, sexy vibes behind, “Bad Habits” by Maxwell.

“Make me crazy, don’t speak no sound / I want you to prove it to me in the nude / Addicted to the way you move.” Ooh-wee! The handsome, talented Maxwell came back strong in 2009 with BLACKsummers’night. Sure, there was an eight-year-hiatus involved , but the quality upon return was one of his best albums.  While “Pretty Wings” is the crowning achievement, rightfully, the opener, “Bad Habits,” sets the tone. “Lady, when we lock it low ah-ah / We get together, it’s an overdose,” he sings in the second verse, concluding, “I’m slipping, I’m here, I’m on my knees / I feel my heart’s about to explode.” Oh, snap! Maxwell and Hod David penned and produced his steamy gem.

Maxwell sounds refined throughout “Bad Habits.” He sings with ease.  His falsetto is ripe, perfect for a sensual cut like “Bad Habits.” It’s not all falsetto, though.  Maxwell shows off a compelling middle register too. He superbly brings the melodies to life, singing about L-O-V-E and S-E-X. (“You got me sick with this love, baby / I’m so, I’m so in love, I can’t come down”).  Beyond marvelous vocals and electrifying songwriting, the arrangement and production are magnificent. At a time when keyboards and synthesized sounds were king, Maxwell opted for more acoustic and live instrumentation.  Some of the glorious sounds beyond the rhythm section include organ (Shedrick Mitchell) and horns (Kenneth Whalum on saxophone, Keyon Harrold on trumpet, and Saunders Sermons II on trombone).  This hearkens back to the R&B of the past.  The chorus is epic:

“This is the highest cost

Take you and make you off

Live you and leave you lost

Will you forgive me?

Asked out all over town

Drags you and keeps you down

Two times in a day around

Will you forgive me?” 

Maxwell says it best: “You’re my bad habit, baby.” Indeed.

Maxwell // BLACKsummers’night // Sony Music Entertainment // 2009

Maxwell, Bad Habits: Midnight Heat No. 93 (2024) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; Hasan Muneer, Natan from Pexels; Aristal Branson, Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay]