Maxwell “BLACKsummers’night” Review

R&B fans can probably be forgiven for not demanding too much from the new Maxwell album. His first albums were all very good, occasionally brilliant, R&B projects that flirted with neo-soul, straight-up soul and something more… futuristic, all tied together by Maxwell’s otherworldly gorgeous voice. Also, most R&B kind of sucks these days, what with halfway talented singers using autotune to warble clichés over throwaway hip hop beats; so of course people are excited about Maxwell’s return after an eight year break—he could release an album of spoken-word Christian rock covers and we’d still probably eat it up.

Fortunately BLACKsummers’night is indeed pretty good, though it’s definitely not any kind of revolutionary step forward; it could have been released six months after Now (Maxwell’s last album) instead of eight years later and still would have fit naturally into his discography. So it’s hard to be disappointed, but it’s also hard to forgive the talented singer for the long-ass wait.

The only significant difference is probably the backing arrangements; the live horn section may seem like a subtle addition to Maxwell’s sound, but it really anchors the album and punctuates many of BLACKsummers’night‘s best tracks. The rest of the live studio band, meanwhile, creates a sound that isn’t as self-consciously retro as the music of Raphael Saadiq or Amy Winehouse; instead of looking backward for inspiration, it takes steps, albeit small ones, forward. It still fits the neo-soul mold, but subtle elements—like the music box chimes in “Pretty Wings”—keep things interesting.

Maxwell himself is still Maxwell. His voice is still impossibly smooth, his timing impeccable, his lyrics generally pretty good (with a few eye-rolling moments). “Playing Possum” is a sparse, acoustic-guitar driven track, which is possibly the most interesting song lyrically: while it could be a metaphor, it could also literally be about death. That uncertainty gives the song an edge that makes it instantly compelling. “Pretty Wings,” the album’s first single, is a bittersweet lullaby for an impossible love. The album’s lead-off song, “Bad Habits,” is catchy and propulsive, sexy yet still strangely sad.

And that melancholy permeates BLACKsummers’night. Maxwell is still the king of baby-making music, but this time the undeniable sensuality of the vocals and arrangements are often at odds with the darkness of the lyrics. This gives the album a refreshing twist, and at just under 40 minutes long, the novelty is never lost.

As the first part of a planned trilogy, BLACKsummers’night may simply be the reintroduction of a phenomenally talented vocalist to the public. The next two albums, blackSUMMER’snight and blacksummer’sNIGHT may hold more surprises or take more radical steps forward. It’s hard to complain, though. While this album isn’t the game-changer some were expecting after such a long wait, it still signals the return of one of soul music’s best voices.

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Also: Maxwell on Jimmy Kimmel Live