In this musical age where bodies are "too bootylicious for ya, baby" and ladies are watching for that "One Minute Man," hard abs rule and tight tops titillate, making it ever apparent that sex still sells. However, in the case of Maxwell's latest album, Now, the R&B songster puts the real sexiness back into sex.

His first release since his second studio album, 1998's Embrya, Maxwell returns to his roots as a singer strongly influenced by '60s soul and '70s funk. The result is an album full of compassionate slow jams and smooth dance tunes, undeniably inducing the listener into a seductive trance.

"Lifetime," Now's first single, is one of several songs about being heartbroken and yearning for that lost love. On "W/As My Girl," the vocals may begin soft and subtle but Maxwell's scorned passion is quite apparent by the song's ending.

But don't feel quite so sad for poor Maxwell just yet.

This man is so smooth that he's pretty hard to resist.

During "Get to Know Ya," he knows that the way to a woman's bed is through her heart and he does just that with his sincere, tender singing.

Again on "Temporary Nite" and "For Lovers Only," Maxwell brings his sexiness (and desire to leave clothes strewn about houses across America) full-out by declaring "This ain't for the ones that just love for fun . . . this is for lovers only . . . strictly for lovers only."

On "Silently," the 28-year-old's Casanova status is confirmed with powerful vocals and instrumentation that chills the bones.

The album also includes Maxwell's phenomenal cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work."

Done nearly entirely in falsetto, his version has been a favorite live staple for years.

While Maxwell may not be quite as poetic as Musiq Soulchild or as gritty as D'Angelo, Now is a sexy, soulful album guaranteed to be heating up bedrooms this year.

— Reviewed by Meghan Day