After nearly a decade since his last album was released, Maxwell is back w/ BLACKsummers’night, the darker opening installment of a trilogy. blackSUMMERS’night (which has a gospel feel) & blacksummers’NIGHT (slow jam records) are slated for release in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
In a recent interview with Billboard, Maxwell explained that “the time away gave me a better appreciation of things, so I took the time I needed to live to make this album something of substance.” And that, it certainly is. Working again with long-time collaborator Hod David, who serves as co-producer and co-writer of the album, Maxwell delivers a smooth, sensual, soulful album that is well worth the wait set behind a blues background (which includes a 10-piece band) and dealing with love lost.
BLACK opens with the quintessential slow jam, “Bad Habits”, a bluesy mid-tempo number with an amazing horn arrangement, which Maxwell calls “the saltiest and most aggressive record I’ve ever done”. The jazzy, hot “Cold” follows, describing a lady love (“Global warming ain’t got nothing on this chick. She’s not to play with. You can’t just leave this. You can’t just think that you can quit this. She’ll make you regret this. She’s on top, and she means business.”).
The angel-soft lead single ballad, “Pretty Wings”, is both sexy and mournful as Maxwell laments about a failed relationship. But with “Stop the World”, Maxwell seductively details experiencing a love that makes the world seem to stop with no worries or battles. The pleading “Love You” is next with Maxwell explaining, “I can be anything you want me to be. I just wanna love you.” “Fistful of Tears” deals with the possibility of opening up to love in spite of painful experiences of the past, while “Playing Possum” revives a love lost (“I’m begging you sugar, have some leniency. Call the president, and ask him, baby, to pardon me and bring you back to me.”) The album concludes with the instrumental “Phoenix Rise”.
BLACKsummers’night, marking the triumphant return of Maxwell, is filled with raw emotion and exhibits his maturity not only as an artist but also as a man able to let go of being afraid to love. The only disappointment is that the album is just over a half-hour, leaving you wanting more and counting down until SUMMERS’NIGHT.
Make sure you pick up your copy of BLACKsummers’night in stores or online today.
love him!
I cant wait to buy his CD… I have missed his music so much… He is a nice change to some of the nonsense being played on the radio…
I read that Maxwell’s CD is projected to sell 250-300 thousand albums in his first week. Congrats to him!
cant wait to get his album
his cd is sooooo good!
i recommend it if you want to listen to REAL music!
I’ll probably get this album..
My fiance got Maxwell’s CD for me yesterday. i LOVE it!!!!!
lawd….my panties just exploded while lookin at that picture LOL.
JEEZ THAT MAN IS SO SEXY IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL
im getting his album
got my copy yesterday…..im in luv with the whole album especially bad habits and fistful of tears!
welcome back maxwell!!!
It’s IN STORES NOW y’all! Get it today. Soooo good!
Great album! Wish it had more tracks though.
I am definitely getting Maxwell’s new album. I’ve been waiting for it for years. There’s nothing like “real”, sexy, music with substance.
I didn’t like the pretty wings vid, but after listening to some other tracks on the cd, I purchased 2!!! Yummy.
great review.
LOL…THIS ONE CD I WOULDN’T HAVE CARED WHAT THE REVIEW SAID…I’M BUYING THIS!!!
PEOPLE HUNGRY FOR REAL LYRICS, RESPECT FOR THE CRAFT…BOW DOWN…REAL MUSIC IS BACK!!!
NOW I NEED LAURYN AND D’ANGELO TO SHAKE OFF THE DEVIL AND START WORKING ON THEIR GOD GIVEN TALENT AGAIN
SADE COMING BACK IN NOVEMBER!!!….(happy dance!!!!!!)
I’m loving “Playing Possum”!!! Makes me want to get some wine and put on one of my favorite pieces (clothing) and snuggle up on the sofa..lol. Love it!
His label didnt even promote his album cuz I didnt even know it was out yet. I really dont understand how artists with REAL talent slip under the radar yet these one-hit wonders keep dominating the airwaves.
Pretty Wings is the ish!!!!!
I’m so in love with his first look, that it’s hard to grasp his new one. Change can be good though! And that voice still captures my soul, OOOOHH I love me some Maxwell.
What happen to the bonus with nas
I thought the album sucked. It is better than Now but I expected more from him. He was gone 7 yrs. I’m sorry but he should have come harder than that. This project was disappointing and weak. However, I’m not a huge fan so maybe my expectations are too high. I also don’t find him sexy at all. Great voice but nothing to really look at.
I do wish him the best.
Is it me or I feel like I’ve been so saturated with garbage music that listening to this I was bored out my mind. (yawn) I thought he would have came back with a little bit more fire… Him being the MAX-WELL and all!
Win tickets to see Maxwell tickets in NYC tonight (July
see how: http://www.thelatestmaxwe...-see-maxwell-tonight-nyc/
Whooooo running home to dowload this from Itunes today!! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!!!!
This CD has 9 songs on it. I dont care if they are 9 of the most amazing songs ever recorded I wont buy an album with less than 12 songs on it. I know he could have included at least 3 more songs on the album that were good and fit the overall feel of the record. Therefore I bootlegged it. Its ok so far.
I love the live band on the album. I also love Pretty Wings and Bad Habits.
That damn CD is so Bomb!!
Maxwell is one of the greats!! This new CD is probably the best I’ve heard all year!!
Everyone owes it to themselves to check it!
Bad Habits [that song will be the death of me!!!]
Pretty Wings
Fistfull Of Tears
Playing Possum [I can not take this damn song off repeat]
Cold
Stop The World
As you can tell I freaking love the cd… I will say I tried to jump through the cd only listening to snippets of songs and was scared I wouldn’t like the cd but calming my ass down and actually listening to the entire cd… letting each song play out… I’m done and his again. What I think is most amazing about this cd it made me realize how damn good he is. After listening to Blacksummer’snight a couple of time I went and pulled out Maxwell’a earlier music and have been jamming since!!!! Started out with Urban Hang Suite… worked my way through MTV Unplugged, Embrya, Now, the songs from the various soundtracks [Fortunate, Sumthin Sumthin: Mellosmooth, Let's Not Play The Game] and finally Blacksummer’snight again I am in Maxheaven and loving every minute of it!!!! Thank you Maxwell for singing real music… Thank you!!!!!!
His album is sold out of the best buys in my area. I’m hot because I want to use my gift certificate.
I got my copy as soon as the stores opened yesterday and have not stopped listening to it…. glad to have real music back…. yeah it’s only nine songs on the cd… eight in which there are actual singing but i’ll take that in a heartbeat over twenty songs of nonsense on another cd…. love you max!!!!
I want this CD, I can’t wait to purchase this CD
CD is classic Maxwell. He needs to change nothing about his craft. The band make the album sound like a 70′s Score and i love it!
Well done and well worth the wait!
I’m listening to it right now. It’s a excellent CD.
Can’t wait to hear the rest of the trilogy.
i haven’t even heard this album, and i’m already in love! pretty WANGS is my favorite song in the world. look forward to hearing some good, quality music again!
This CD has been worth the wait. I’m glad I won’t have to wait another 8 years to get some more music from Maxwell. I’ll just be wearing this CD out until Summer comes out. Playing Possum is the cut, okay. I hope Maxwell makes it to his CBS performance safely…
At first I didn’t like the it but I had a greater appreciation for the CD once I watched the DVD. It really is grown folks RnB. If you lookin for Ego’s and Birthday Sex, this is not the one. Great CD MAX!!!
I listened to his CD from someone who purchased it and I must say it is a very nice album. You can listen to it from start to finish. My personal favorite is Help Somebody, such an uplifting song. I will be ordering a copy from Amazon.com. From now on, I supporting artists such as Maxwell who make great music consistently.
Im only 19 but Im feeln that Maxwell Cd. Heard it weeks before and looove it!!! yeah lil disappointed only 30 min but nonetheless greatly crafted!!
I was a little disappointed when I picked up the CD and there were only 9 tracks and then listened to the CD and the last track is an instrumental but then I thought about it….
Would it be better to have a CD with 8 quality songs or a CD with 17 tracks but 10 songs are straight garbage and the other 7 are just ok? Definitely the CD with 8 quality songs!!!
Maxwell is an A$$hle. He shoewed up hella late to the essence festival and then refused to take pics!! I am not buying his album, he doesnt appreciate his fans at alll!
I loooooooooooove Maxwell, I really need to get this CD. He is such an incredibly talented man
Lovvvvvve him…Real Music baby!!!
# 8 wow u made me SPIT my juice out .. that was to funny ! I see what u mean tho
I love pretty wings ! Finnally real music… MUSiC of substance that doesn’t involved singin’ about an alcohol substance! (Jamie foxx , tpain, lil wayne , ETC)
Man I need to get this ABLUM asap :-X!
Glad to have real music. Hope it’s making a comeback.
40.
welfare case
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 /
Maxwell is an A$$hle. He shoewed up hella late to the essence festival and then refused to take pics!! I am not buying his album, he doesnt appreciate his fans at alll!
I WAS THERE…JAZMINE AND MISS ANITA BAKER WENT OVER THEIR TIMEFRAME, SO THEREFORE MAXWELL SET RAN LATE…DUDE WAS IN THE CONVENTION CENTER SIGNING AUTOGRAPHES FOR HELLA LOT OF PEOPLE
MAXWELL IS A VERY HUMBLE MAN AND REALLY APPRECIATES HIS FANS…ANGEL WAS AT EMF SO SHE CAN DEFINITELY BAKC UP WHAT I SAID
i love his grown and sexy style, i am a young woman but i was able to appreciate him when he first came out. the neo soul genre i have missed so much is back and i am so happy!!!
This CD is so fire. My only complaint is that I waited 8 years for a Maxwell CD and had to spend another 10 min trying to open it. Why do they make CD so hard to get into? Fire. Real music is back.
I know thats right #36….ego and birthday sex and anything The dream is singing is NOT r&b………r&b stopped in the 90′s …….so I am glad for expections like fine ass Maxwell………..oooh he is sooooooooooo fine…….still giving us great music….haven’t even listened to the cd…dont need to..I know its stellar…he has given us repeatedly solid material ever since he came out why should this time b any different……..I’ll keep hope alive that one day we will b together….:)
@#25 didnt thriller only have 9 songs on it and look what happen to it! whats better 9 great songs or 12 songs where only 3 or worth listening to and the otehr 7 suck because they were placed on the album so that it would be “enough” songs this is why the music business is in such a bad shape cuz they cater to the majority and the majority of people are wack and have no idea what real music is or what it takes to make a great classical album u might want to try copn Jerimih or Pleasure P i’m sure u get 12 songs talkn of nothing but fukn, a woman’s anatomoy, fukn, clubn or and lets not 4get FUKN this is a grown man we talkn bout(maxwell) it dont take long to say what u have to say!
Love me some him ! ! ! I am so thrilled that he is back on the scene ! ! !
I will back you up DARKAQUA. I was there working behind the scene.
There was also technical difficulties. Long as I have known him, he doesnt make any fans wait for him to perform. He appreciate them dearly. Very humble young man ! ! !He was at the Superdome ahead of schedule, but the engineers have to fix the problem after Anita left the stage.
Now Erykah Badu has her fans waiting, never Maxwell. When he have to be on the stage at a certain time, he is waiting in the wings.
I think Ill buy it whenever I go school shopping. Ill try not to spend much on clothes (even though I dont). CDs arent that expensive.
I love this CD!!! I got my ass in the tub and listened to the whole thing.. Also, a little disappointed the entire CD is 37 mins and some change..but every song is really good.. I think I listened to Pretty Wings 6 times in the tub!! LOL.. You just get a high listening to him..
@48 Lavender.. you are so right! R&B died in the 90s.. I thought the same thing when I saw Guy, New Edition and BBD on BET.. I wish Lauryn Hill would get her life straight and finally shut these “divas” and other broads down..
I know this is off topic.. but is anyone else tired of looking at Mariah’s half naked 40 yr old ass as the background.. I miss the classy Mariah that could actually sing and not breath and giggle on tracks.. She should have stayed with Tommy Mottola
luv maxwell!!
Maxwell CD is strait FIYAH !!! Although, short it effn rocks!!! I would rather have 8 great songs than 16 bullish songs any day…Fabulous Effn CD !!!! Real Music !!!
Love Maxwell, love the title, love the ballads very happy in my purchase something I haven’t been in a long while.
I really like the album, don’t love it but I really enjoy listenin 2 it. Favorite tracks are Cold and Fistful of Tears. Has anyone heard that song On The Ocean by K’Jon…gives me that Maxwell vibe….yall should check it out @ http://www.myspace.com/whoiskjon
Could you get rid of the Mariah “Scary” background!!! I was totally upset with her and her cocktail dress she wore to a memorial service!!! Maxwell cd, back to what I’m suppose to post, is okay. I expected more but it beats listening to Jamie Foxx’s and all the rest of those non singing folks who put out a cd!!! They know who they are!!!
Real music is finally back! Not that generic, recycled Jeremih crap! So what if the CD has 9 tracks. Quality always outweighs quantity anyway. It’s worth the purchase for “Pretty Wings” anyway!