After starting his career with his first three studio albums released over the course of six years (and a live MTV Unplugged EP in between his debut and sophomore efforts to boot), Maxwell slowed his pace considerably. The world waited for what felt like a very long eight years following Now for the first of the announced trilogy of BLACKsummers’night (with the progression of caps moving to the next word for each subsequent release) and treated us to the lovely lead single “Pretty Wings”. During the promotion of that album, he promised not to wait so long to release its follow-up. Seven years later, the next volume hits shelves on 1st July under the title blackSUMMERS’night. It may not be timely, but the R&B landscape can exhale.
Just over 20 years after Maxwell‘s debut album wowed audiences, blackSUMMERS’night is upon us. Back in April, Columbia released a teaser lyric video for “Lake By the Ocean” to start the press machine. The choice was a wise one, as the song is well within the audience’s comfort zone for his music. Bubbling under a subtly funky bassline, “Lake By the Ocean” falls more in line with “Matrimony: Maybe You” tempo-wise and is a little more rhythmic than “Pretty Wings” than with “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” or “Get to Know Ya”, the lead singles from his previous four albums. Touching the listener with sensual tones and a falsetto that can still devastate, “Lake By the Ocean” may not be the neo-soul vibe that enveloped his early career, but there’s still plenty of soul to it that extends beyond many modern R&B acts that are more profit than prophet.