MAXWELL Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Legendary neo-soul man Maxwell tends to take his time over albums. He recently released the acclaimed blackSUMMERS'night, a belated follow-up to 2009's BLACKsummers'night (which originally appeared eight years after his previous full-length). Here, the latter gets a timely reissue on Legacy Vinyl. It remains a fine set, with Maxwell's brilliant vocals - occasionally fragile and heartfelt, sometimes bolder and breezier, and always dripping in soul - perfectly complimenting his backing band's warm, rich and evocative soul grooves. Highlights include the horn-heavy punch of "Bad Habits", the bustling, hip-hop soul beats, rising instrumentation and belted out vocals of "Help Somebody", and the grandiose ballad, "Fistful of Tears".