For Maxwell, It’s All About Love

You wouldn’t have expected neo-soul loverboy Maxwell to make big speeches about war and stuff during his concert at the Shrine Auditorium on Wednesday. But without mentioning terrorism or Afghanistan, he did offer an opinion during the sold-out opening of his two-night stand.

“Sometimes you have to fight for freedom, but there’s two sides to every story,” said the Brooklyn-born artist, 28. “I’ll stick on the love side for now.”

And indeed he did, with a 75-minute performance that moved fluidly from danceable grooves to heartfelt ballads to expansive, ultra-psychedelic soul. Underscoring his longevity in a genre increasingly filled with hopeful new flavors of the month, the singer-songwriter emphasized this year’s “Now” while also offering many selections from 1996’s “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite” and 1998’s “Embrya.”

The presentation was much simpler than his last tour, which supported the extremely psychedelic “Embrya” with a lavish set of lava lamps and gauzy curtains and a more mysterious Maxwell, who slowly unwrapped himself throughout the evening.

This time, he and his band stood before a bamboo backdrop that slid open to reveal different projected backgrounds for a Zen, ‘70s-bachelor-pad effect.

The music illustrated how Maxwell has remained a hit-making force in modern soul, shifting his fascinations from sexy R&B; to trippy soul to the earthier funk and hip-hop sounds on “Now,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart last summer. The influence of Prince and Marvin Gaye showed in the melodies and his vocal mannerisms, but never simply as blind imitation.

His musical focus may vary, but Maxwell never strays far from his message of making sweet love to (and a cosmic connection with) that special someone. Which was really the point for the thousands of screaming female fans, who appreciated his boho-cuteness, 50,000-watt grin and habit of falling to his knees in dramatic moments.

Opening with several upbeat favorites, he was at first effusive, almost giddy, warmly thanking opening act Angie Stone and his fans, and confessing to nervousness. But when he fluttered into the first falsetto bars of Kate Bush’s aching romantic ballad “This Woman’s Work,” all silliness vanished as he gave the material the serious treatment it demanded.

In classic soul-singer style, he took the tune a little over the top, closing with an anguished wail and clutching at his eyes as if the pain were just too much to bear. Sure, it was a standard move, but Maxwell had a way of making all the put-your-hands-in-the-air, where-my-ladies-at, how-you-doin’-in-the-balcony cliches at least bearably adorable, if not exactly fresh.

The emotion he poured into such sentimental numbers as “Lifetime” made it clear that his ladies’ man tendencies served not purely base motivations, but an unwavering faith in the power of love to transform one’s world. Which, come to think of it, really is the side we should all be on.