By shelz.
Anticipation can be a great thing. Your mind runs rampant with excitement. You whip yourself into a frenzy with expectation. Most times, however, anticipation raises the bar too high. The event pales in comparison to the hype and you are left disappointed. Every once in a while though, what you’ve waited for equals or even eclipses what you eagerly hoped it would be.
It’s been 8 long years since Maxwell hit us with an LP. Some believed the crumbling of neo soul had claimed him as collateral damage. With Erykah Badu taking motherhood on as her primary employment and D’Angelo’s face starring out from the proverbial milk carton, Maxwell’s was the last career on the chopping block for the architects of the sub-genre. Nothing could be further from the truth. Maxwell has breathed new life into a genus almost forgotten by the masses with the 1st installment of his musical trilogy BLACKsummers’night. And he does so with lush production, achingly seductive vocals and a tried and true style all his own.
He has again teamed with Hod David, co-writer of Urban Hang Suite’s “Til the Cops Come Knockin” and all of Maxwell’s last release, Now, to continue carrying his nu soul torch. The album was recorded live as opposed to in contrived studio layers, giving it more of a jam session feel. The trademark elements are all there. The slick instrumental runs, the jazz overtones and the gospel tinge all come together to provide the perfect backdrop for Maxwell’s multi range intonation. It’s also a return to Maxwell’s favorite themes of love, lust and the sometimes tragic intersection of the two.
He wastes no time setting the mood of the album. It opens with “Bad Habits,” a mid-tempo tale of sexual yearning during which Maxwell admits as soon as they are done, he’s overdue. The song starts simple and develops methodically, escalating the emotion and leaving you keyed up for what’s next.
Then there is “Cold.” The energetic horn heavy track is an interesting backdrop for Maxwell’s lyrical lamenting of his relationship with a woman distant enough to make his summer frigid, but bad enough to make him brave the freezing temperatures willingly. The theme of the doomed relationship continues with “Pretty Wings,” the albums maiden single. The melancholy expression of regret chronicles the end of a relationship complete with an arrangement that successfully tugs at your heart strings.
Maxwell does veer from the concept of heartbreak and love complexities to offer “Stop the World” and “Love You.” They flip the previous script and present love as a happy endeavor. The latter has a gospel overtone that raises the feeling of the song to a spiritual level. But the tone is immediately driven back to the morose with “Fistful of Tears,” an obviously Prince inspired track about keeping your sanity when everything around you is in chaos.
The closing song, an instrumental piece called “Phoenix Rising,” is a fitting tribute to his rebirth from the ashes of a genre that was down for the count. And a possible a heralding of the greatness we anticipate the next two chapters to be.
Is there any downside worth pointing out? Well, his lyrics are pedestrian at times. This will give Maxwell’s critics who have complained about his less than stellar writing abilities some fodder for their fussiness. It’s also short, weighing in at nine songs. So the frugal may scoff at not getting enough musical bang for their buck. However, BLACKsummers’night is boiled down to simple soul righteousness. There is no filler, no interlude and no lazy mic pass to the feature artist of the week. It’s a small package that packs a big punch, respects every penny you spend on it and lives up to every hype filled daydream his fans had during their 8 year wait.
Out Of 5
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