Maxwell Wins Audience With Songs of Love

Obscured behind the sheer white fabric panels that draped the Universal Amphitheatre stage, R&B; crooner Maxwell started his three-night stand Tuesday as a mysterious, distant stranger, someone not quite approachable in his white cap and dark glasses. But by show’s end, the charming singer-songwriter had shed those trappings and solidly bonded with his audience.

Bubbling with lava lamps and abstract backdrops, the elaborate set evoked the womb-like feel of the New Yorker’s current album, “Embrya,” from which much of the 90-minute performance was drawn. His eight-piece band deftly shifted between sensual grooves and sexy funk numbers that displayed a Prince-like fascination with physical-spiritual love.

But like Seal, Maxwell proved a sophisticated bedroom poet with wide-ranging influences, from such soul icons as Marvin Gaye to English avant-pop singer Kate Bush, whose “This Woman’s Work” he made into a subtle falsetto soul ballad that he performed almost as strikingly as his own tour de force, “Know These Things: Shouldn’t You.”

Every hip thrust was met with approving cheers, but it was Maxwell’s heartfelt passion that made just about every woman in the place yell “Yes!” when he cocked his head and asked, “Will you marry me?” If his increasing engagement with the audience made for some dragged-out patches during the last hour, a new song, “Get to Know Ya,” helped rekindle the early spark.

* Maxwell plays tonight at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 8:15 p.m. $26.50-$45.50. (818) 622-4440.