MAXWELL Schallplatten & CDs

Review: At one time, Maxwell was one of the most fanned over stars of the emerging neo-soul sound. His Urban Hang Suite album remains a high watermark for the genre and is easily his most celebrated. But there were others, too, which are almost as good, and certainly worth adding to the collection. They include Now, which is markings its 20th anniversary with a limited-edition reissue on "root beer brown" vinyl, which sounds delicious. The sounds are super silky and sophisticated, with Maxwell's butter-smooth vocals couched in lazy grooves and winding piano lines.

Review: Short-lived Pennsylvania funk troupe Maxwell might be recognisable from a few cheeky compilation cameos with their "Radiation Funk" track. A cult success in their local charts, it took decades for it too see beyond the Columbia city limits and become a secret weapon for diggers and collectors. Now reissued officially for the first time, it's fronted by the unreleased A-side "Meltdown". Another track written in response to an accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979, it packs a big vocal punch, tight playing, infectious hooks and blasts of percussive funk. This sure ain't no junk.

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".