Maxwell has tallied his 22nd entry on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.
His alluring rendition of Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful” debuts at No. 27 this week on the airplay chart, while Muni Long‘s “Make Me Forget” holds the top spot for the first time.
“Simply Beautiful” is Maxwell’s second remake to make it onto the Adult R&B Airplay chart, which highlights “the week’s most popular songs ranked by Adult R&B radio airplay detections, as measured by Mediabase and provided by Luminate,” according to Billboard.
His fan-favorite cover of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” peaked at No. 2 on the chart dated Apr. 20, 2002.
Eight of Maxwell‘s 22 entries have reached No. 1 on the airplay chart. His most recent chart-topper, “Off,” held the top position for two weeks in April 2022.
Circling back to Maxwell’s “Simply Beautiful” tribute to Al Green, it was released on Aug. 2 and produced in collaboration with his longtime collaborators Hod David and Shedrick Mitchell.
Last week, it debuted at No. 29 on Mediabase’s R&B radio chart with 210 radio spins and 1.3 million audience impressions. It also took the most-added song award on the format with 29 adds.
Regarding his “Simply Beautiful” cover, Maxwell said, “The first time I heard Al Green’s music, I was amazed. He is such an icon, I mean what a brilliant musician and songwriter. It’s been a honor to get in the studio and record one of his songs.”
Maxwell teased the studio release of “Simply Beautiful” with a behind-the-scenes look at him recording the song.
“Simply Beautiful” is Maxwell’s first song release in nearly three years. As mentioned above, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter put out the bedroom jam “Off” in November 2021, ahead of receiving the Legend Award at the 2021 Soul Train Awards.
Per rep confirmation to Rated R&B, “Simply Beautiful” is currently a stand-alone single. Maxwell continues to prepare blacksummers’NIGHT, his long-awaited album of a trilogy.
The legendary singer is headed back on the road this fall in North America as part of his Serenade Tour.
The trek will begin on Sept. 14 in Hollywood, Florida, with stops in Baltimore, Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Chicago, before concluding on Oct. 27 in Los Angeles. Jazmine Sullivan and October London will be special guests on the tour.
In February 2025, Maxwell will set sail on his second annual Urban Hang Suite Cruise, named after his hailed debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite.
In addition to Maxwell, the cruise will feature performances by Anthony Hamilton, Marsha Ambrosius, Lalah Hathaway, Terrance Martin, Avery*Sunshine, and more.
Listen to Maxwell’s “Simply Beautiful” cover below.
