The Bus

Maxwell — BLACKsummers'night

Tracks:

1. Phoenix Rise
2. Playing Possum
3. Help Somebody (Ft. Nas)
4. Never Do W/Out You
5. Fistful of Tears
6. Stop the World
7. Love You
8. Pretty Wings
9. Cold
10. Bad Habits


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mLfC...eature=channel

The song is pretty good but nothing I'm crazy about. Apparently this is slated as a trilogy with blackSUMMERS'night slated for 2010 and blacksummers'NIGHT slated for 2011.

Hopefully, this gets D'Angelo to come back.

bootsy

Can't wait. My wife saw him in concert late last year and he previewed a couple of his new songs.

As for D'Angelo I read on billboard.com last year that he was supposed to come out in June of this year. Obviously that won't happen but I bet he does come out before the end of the year.

Boba Fett

For some reason I thought confused this guy with YouTube novelty hit artist, Samwell.

Jason

I was thinking of Rockwell...



(kinda scary that was the very first thing that came up for a GIS on "rockwell")

vili

I have now had the chance to listen through the album a few times. Considering everything -- 8 years since the last album, numerous delays with the release, a trilogy concept -- you would imagine that this just can't be anything more than a vanity project of some sorts that would leave us puzzled and somewhat worried about his mental health.

But not at all. Maxwell has actually done a Kate Bush here and produced an excellent album. It may not be a career defining work or one that takes his music to unexpected new territories, but it is an extremely solid CD, full of that old Maxwell formula, but still managing to sound fresh, and in some ways more mature.

I really love it and would definitely recommend it. If you have enjoyed Maxwell's previous work, I can see no reason why you wouldn't love this one as well.

By the way, the track list posted earlier differs from what I have, and what now seems to be the final track list:

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

So, it seems that the songs were shuffled around a bit and "Never Do W/Out You" was dropped. It apparently isn't even part of the Deluxe Edition, which I am looking forward to getting once the album is officially out (July 7).

bootsy

Where would you rank this album compared to his past work. I know it probably isn't better than Urban Hang Suite but it should be better than Now. I was disappointed in that one.

vili

I don't think that I would be able to rank Maxwell albums apart from saying that Embrya is the one I'd take to the desert island. But when compared to the others, Black Summer's Night sounds to me like a fairly natural progression from Now. It resembles that album and Urban Hang Suite more than it does Embrya, but also feels more mature, more organic and more contemplative than its predecessors.

It has a fuller, slightly more acoustic sound.

I have somehow always thought of Now as a party album. The new disc feels more like an evening album. If that makes any sense.

too much

Embrya is a great CD! Too bad it didn't sell better.

I really like Help Somebody from the new CD. There is a cool instrumental as well. The entire CD sounds like the natural progression from Now. I think he did some last minute track rearranging on that CD too. If you didn't like Now, you probably won't like this one.

Has anybody heard the Pretty Wings remix. I see iTunes is offering it for preorders (then it disappears).

Snowmaker

Same here.

vili

According to a recent article in Billboard, it didn't actually do so badly (1.2 million instead of the 1.8 million sold by Urban Hang Suite and Now).

Speaking about the article, Maxwell mentions in it that the trilogy concept with Black Summers Night is that this first album is a darker album, the second a "gospel" one, and the last one a "slow jam record". I don't think that the new album is so dark, though. Or did you get that feeling, Snowmaker?

I haven't heard the remix yet.

too much

1.2 million sold for Embrya is not bad, but it is so much better than Now (IMO). Glad he is back.

You can listen to the full CD of BLACKsummers'night at music . aol

vili

Maxwell Tops Billboard 200. The new album sold more copies in its first week than any of his previous albums did when they were released.

Still not enough to topple Michael Jackson from the overall chart, though.

cungar

I barely know who this guy is and he's playing the frigging Hollywood Bowl.

The Bus

Shocking Alert! There are many artists you don't know who are popular with other people.

cungar

I apologize for not being as well rounded a human being as you. I bow at your very existence.

bootsy

Uh yeah he is. I didn't know there was a rule that if cungar didn't know who the guy was then he shouldn't play at the frigging Hollywood Bowl. My suggestion is do some research and learn who the guy is and stop whining.

The Bus

If this means D'Angelo is back but we had to wait six(!) extra years for the follow-up, then that's a fair trade-off.



blackSUMMERS'night (July 7, 2016)

1 All the Ways Love Can Feel
2 The Fall
3 III
4 Lake By the Ocean
5 Fingers Crossed
6 Hostage
7 1990X
8 Gods
9 Lost
10 Of All Kind
11 Listen Hear
12 Night