Maxwell's cool R&B splices together features from across the genre, knitting the social and political consciousness of Marvin Gaye's “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” with the honeyed vocals that made Sade's “Smooth Operator” a hit. The swelling strings of Stevie Wonder's “Rocket Love” are mirrored in Maxwell's affinity for romance, while his crisp songwriting nods to Al Green's effortless lyrics.