Commercial Break updates via email:

  
Albums reviewed and rated

BLACKsummers night album cover

BLACKsummers'
night

Maxwell


Columbia Records

Eight years after Now, the Brooklyn-born sex god is back, minus the afro, to serenade any female within earshot. But before Maxwell became a statuesque bundle of erotic energy, it's worth noting that there was more to him than a chiselled jawline and taut buttocks. Back in 1996, he released Urban Hang Suite, a coolly crafted album that had to compete with D'Angelo's ground-breaking Brown Sugar. BLACKsummers'night is, however, a different proposition. While Urban Hang Suite blended jazz with funk, BLACKsummers'night is firmly rooted in a type of tuneful soul that's easy on the ears. Pretty Wings, Bad Habits and Help Somebody are fine songs, aided by a 10-piece band that comes into its own on the criminally short Phoenix Rise. That instrumental ends an album that's been lauded in most quarters, perhaps because, unlike Urban Hang Suite, it has few rivals 



© 2009 Commercial Break




INFO


Rating


Style simple sultry soul

Website
Maxwell



Sample


MORE MUSIC REVIEWS


Broken beat
Bugz In The Attic
Got The Bug 2 Got The Bug 2 album cover

Hip hop / Jazz / Funk
Q-Tip
Kamaal The Abstract Kamaal The Abstract album cover

Broken beat / Soul
Domu
One Offs, Remixes
And B Sides Ones Offs, Remixes And B Sides album cover


Funk / Hip hop / Soul
Clyde
Higher Hyper Reality album cover

Soul / Jazz / Broken beat
Michelle Amador
Higher Higher album cover

Nu jazz / Chill / Folk
Lars Bartkuhn
The New Continent The New Continent album cover

Acoustic jazz
Elan Mehler
The After Suite The After Suite album cover

Electronica / Hip hop
Dorian Concept
When Planets Explode When Planets Explode album cover

Jazz / Broken beat
Kaidi Tatham
In Search Of Hope In Search Of Hope album cover

Hip hop / Neo soul
Q-Tip
The Renaissance The Renaissance album cover

Broken beat / Soul
2000 Black
A Next Set A Rockers A Next Set A Rockers album cover

Jazz / Neo soul / P-funk
Karen P
…broad casting broad casting album cover

Neo soul
Erykah Badu
New Amerykah Part
One: 4th World War New Amerykah Part One album cover


Acoustic jazz
Soil & "PIMP" Sessions
Planet Pimp Planet Pimp album cover

Nu jazz / Broken beat
Various artists
Jazz Re:freshed Vol. 1 Jazz Re:freshed Vol 1 album cover

Neo soul
Dwele
Sketches Of A Man Sketches Of A Man album cover

Soulful house
Fanatix
This Thing Of Ours… This Thing Of Ours... album cover

Hip hop
J-Live
Then What Happened? Then What Happened? album cover

Nu jazz
Sonar Kollektiv Orchester
Guaranteed Niceness Guaranteed Niceness album cover

Acoustic jazz
The Neil Cowley Trio
Loud… Louder… Stop! Loud... Louder... Stop! album cover

Nu jazz
Two Banks Of Four
Junkyard Gods Junkyard Gods album cover

Hip hop / P-funk / Dub
4hero
…mixing ...mixing album cover

Soulful house / Soul
Reel People
Seven Ways To Wonder Seven Ways To Wonder album cover

Neo soul
Natalie Gardiner
California California album cover

Broken beat
Various artists
Broadcite Acetate Broadcite Acetate album cover

Soul / Funk / House
Opolopo
Rf Presents Opolopo Rf Presents album cover

Broken beat / Neo soul
Flowriders
R.U.E.D.Y. Ruedy album cover

Neo soul
Jill Scott
The Real Thing:
Words And Sounds Vol. 3 The Real Thing album cover


Neo soul
Angie Stone
The Art Of Love & War The Art Of Love And War album cover

Neo soul / Broken beat
The Politik
(Bêmbè Sêguè
& Mark de Clive-Lowe)
The Politik The Politik album cover

Neo soul / Hip hop
Jill Scott
Collaborations Collaborations album cover

Downbeat / Folk
The Cinematic
Orchestra
Ma Fleur Ma Fleur album cover

Broken beat / Neo soul
Brotherly
One Sweet Life One Sweet Life album cover

Soul / Broken beat
4hero
Play With The Changes Play With The Changes album cover

Broken beat / P-funk
Bugz In The Attic
Back In The Dog House Back In The Dog House album cover

Broken beat / Soul
Domu
Return Of The Rogue Return Of The Rogue album cover

Soulful house / Soul
Peven Everett
Power Soul Power Soul album cover