Track Listing

1. Bad Habits
2. Cold
3. Pretty Wings
4. Help Somebody
5. Stop The World
6. Love You
7. Fist Full Of Tears
8. Playing Possum
9. Phoenix Rise

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #750 in Music
• Released on: 2009-07-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
Maxwell's long-awaited and much-delayed fourth studio album'Black', his first for eight years, is the follow-up to 2001's 'Now' and the first in a projected trilogy called 'BlackSummers' Night'. Maxwell has long been a favourite among fans of neo-soul, eschewing hype and the limelight in favour of simply making good records. The single 'Pretty Wings' gives a good indication of where he is at on this album, channeling Al Green over a relaxed yet sultry groove that sounds simultaneously classic and ultra-modern.

Customer Reviews

An Intriguing Return
The cover photograph in black and white indicates that much has changed in the years since 2001's 'Now', and fans might well wonder if the markedly changed physical appearance captured on the cover is likely to be reflected in the music to be found on this album.

Arguably the answer is 'yes'. Lasting just 37.26 the music is like the photograph, lean sounding and shorn of unneccesary production flourishes. The opener 'Bad Habits' opens with the reassuringly familiar Maxwell vocal hovering over a sustained keyboard note before descending to caress over a gradually developing organic groove. Fans of the 'Urban Hang Suite' will recognise the soundscape, but will note the live playing which ends with a delightful instrumental coda featuring the light touch trumpet playing of Keyyon Harrold. Fans familiar with the work of Roy Hargrove and Russell Gunn will likely hear echoes of their work too.

This continues with 'Cold', where Maxwell's voice is married to a searching percussive groove again featuring the notable melodic trumpet work of Harrold. 'Pretty Wings' is instantly recognisable as the standout melodic song on the album, and may well serve as the most commercially viable way for fans unfamiliar with Maxwell to engage with him, supported by the fact that this was the song performed by him at the 2009 Black Entertainment (BET) Awards. 'Help Somebody' is the most obviously rock influenced track, and whilst it might not appeal immediately it has an undeniable quality that will seduce the ear over time.

There are a few moments where the musical and vocal direction do not marry so well - 'Love You' features a prominent drum track that doesn't quite fit the apparent sentiment and vocal line, and 'Fistful of Tears' (despite the arresting title) is notable for the inclusion of lead guitar work (however brief), an instrument that appears to have been resolutely abandoned by many contemporary black artists in their work in recent years. Another indication, perhaps, that the musical pallette being presented here (howsoever sparse) is wider ranging in its musical references.

The album concludes with the instrumental 'Phoenix Rise', which initially stands uncomfortably with the music preceeding it, especially given the prominent synthesised introduction.

Considered as a whole the overall of quality of the work is enough to ensure that it remains musically and lyrically superior to much of the material that is afforded the label 'Urban Music'. It has steadfastly (and quite unsurprisingly) avoided slavishly following the latest musical production techniques, and will perhaps enjoy less commercial success as a result.

Intriguingly, this is apparently projected to be part of a thematically linked trilogy of albums, and it remains to be seen how the work featured here will link or inform the material to follow, and how the later work may help contextualise the former. This might be especially true for 'Phoenix Rise'.

Overall this is a welcome release from one of the most intriguing of contemporary black artists.

Maxwell Returns!
After an 8 year hiatus, Maxwell finally returns with an album of fresh material. Joined by his excellent session band, Maxwell launches in to the album with 'Bad Habits', a lush arrangement of brass and organs, and lyrically Maxwell is once again on top form. This song sets the tone of album nicely and Maxwell clearly isn't afraid to let the band play. 'Playing Possum' is a beautiful stripped down acoustic moment, featuring an extended trumpet solo and 'Pheonix Rise' is an instrumental that straddles the line between electro-pop and neo-soul. However, Maxwell seems his most triumphant when he returns to his soul roots. 'Fistful of Tears', 'Stop The World' and 'Pretty Wings' all find Maxwell on his A game as he croons over the gorgeous arrangements.

It's rare to find an album these days where the artist pays as much attention to the musical arrangement as they do the vocals and lyrics but BLACKSummers'Night certainly doesn't suffer from this problem. Maybe this is why so many hold Maxwell in such high regard. It may only have 9 tracks but these are 9 of the finest tracks you will have heard in a long long time.

Deceptively subtle, Maxwell's fourth is a slow burning belter!
I was expecting a lot (nay, a great deal) from the first Maxwell album in far too many years, and upon the first listen I was... underwhelmed. However, after a few spins I'm really appreciating, and fixed on how genuinely different and well crafted this album is. So much so that I'd say the man's still got it and he's still evolving. Papa M's most definitely got a new bag, and it's bizarrely retro; yet in being so, his fourth proper album is utterly fresh and forward facing. And it's just in time because music desperately needs a cleansing air blown across its stale, stagnant waters.

Where much neo-soul (for want of a better compartment) is overly fussy, cluttered and generally synthetic once you get past the vocals, BSN is primarily organic and straight up. Which explains why I was initially underwhelmed. I've always favoured Maxwell for, amongst other reasons, his inventive way with instrumentation and song structure. Having been unafraid to bring ambient and leftfield ideas into his mix, arguably the greatest male soul artist of his generation, has always sought to offer up something unique, to buck the trend. Often to his detrement, commercially. However on that front, BSN is quite an about-face. As a collection it appears to be all about the possibilities of simple instrumentation and the priceless interplay of live players. In other words, this is RnB in the true, original sense of the term; yet a re-take on classic RnB that is reflective of the here and now.

There's no clickety-clack drum machines. No smoke and mirrors fancy editing hiding a lack of fundamental song structure. In fact it's so refreshingly real that it actually strides miles beyond the mainstream studio fodder of everyone from Beyonce to Angie Stone. This is Maxwell's Soul Review, yet one that has his trademark spin etched into its grooves, and one that's far from 'big band' indulgent. If anything, this is a 'small band' - they're just making a big noise. There's no funk odyssey workouts (like Prince at his most self-indulgent), just original RnB power, passion and directness. Songs seem short and sweet at first, but after you get to know them, you realise they're anything but 3-minute wonders.

Opener Bad Habits is something of a trick opening. What comes across as an oddly slow, smoochy lead track that's been sequenced in completely the wrong place evolves into a real grower of a groove. If you've heard the lead single 'Pretty Wings' you'll have already experienced Maxwell's new thing. What starts off as classic Maxwell, all odd, decidedly un-soul-like instrumentation, hits the halfway mark and suddenly reveals a killer RnB horn section, and a decidedly live feel that's going to knock 'em dead come the concert shows.

Nothing is overdone, and (thank heavens) true to his worth Maxwell is still a histrionic-free zone. In fact the stripped back sound allows the listener to better appreciate how utterly creative and resourceful he is with his vocal arrangements. Tracks like the uptempo 'Love You' recall The Temptations at their most mighty, revealing some real gutsy vocals... before you realise that Maxwell is actually singing against himself, where once it took a handful of Temptations to line up a sound so sweet. 'Help Somebody' could just as easily be the best vocal track Prince never allowed himself to write, and 'Cold' and 'Fistful of Tears' tread a similar vein.

The only downside to this album is that it feels like it was compiled from a greater collection, and the news that this is just the first of what will grow into a trio of albums along a theme suggests that he may be spreading himself a little thin. However, Maxwell has always been a little bit odd, and avoided the ordinary, so nothing about the BlackSummersNight campaign surprises me. Sadly, BSN could have been an utter killer of an album, instead it's just darn good; and it seems we'll have to collect the tryptic to really know what serious gems he's stockpiled over the last near-decade out of the spotlight.