Maxwell’s back with “BLACKsummers’night”

In the six years that Maxwell has been absent, his standing as the silky prince of soul has been challenged by such ladykillers as John Legend, Robin Thicke and even Petersburg native Trey Songz.

But when "BLACKsummers'night" arrived the first week of July, it sold 316,000 copies -- the biggest sales week of his career -- and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Seems as if Maxwell was missed.

The soft-spoken singer, who arrived in 1996 and, like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott, will forever be linked to the "neo-soul" genre that erupted at the time, expressed a shade of surprise and much humility at the album's reception.

"A lot of people in my zone and a little older understand there is a certain magic to buying albums and having them in your possession to hold and read," said the 36-year-old, calling recently from tour rehearsals in Toronto.

During his self-imposed hiatus, Maxwell said he worked on songs sporadically, dated a woman who inspired this current album (they're no longer a couple, but are friends), and "took time to be a human being."

"The focus of celebrity can kind of damage you because it takes your ability to be a person away. You can lose sight of yourself. You have to be careful with how much you let into your system, and by being away, I was able to calibrate that system," he said.

During his time away from public scrutiny, Maxwell made the kind of move guaranteed to send bloggers into a frenzy: He cut his hair. His sunburst Afro was shorn to a military-worthy crop.

"I just wanted to get a fade," he said with a soft laugh. "I just wanted a new regimen in the morning and not have to have all kinds of conditioners and hair stuff. It's nice to just pop up in the morning and get on with life. Besides, there's nothing really cool about a person who keeps a hairstyle for more than 10 years."

Even though Maxwell's sleek style and chiseled jaw sustain public interest on a superficial level, his musical prowess cannot be overlooked. "BLACKsummers'night" is one of the strongest releases of the year, filled with heartbreaking, substantive ballads ("Pretty Wings"), Al Green-styled soul ("Help Somebody") and fluttering funk ("Phoenix Rise").

It's also the first in a trilogy -- "blackSUMMERS'night" is slated for November 2010 and "blacksummers'NIGHT" in 2011.

"The [current album] is about love lost, the second is love found -- physical and spiritual, intermingled -- and the third is basically all love songs, more ballads," he said.

The success of "BLACKsummers'night" has allowed Maxwell to produce his first arena tour. On the 14-date jaunt, which kicked off Friday in Toronto and stops at the Richmond Coliseum Wednesday, he's joined by fellow crooners Common and Chrisette Michelle.

This is his first major scale production -- "There are literally 60 people involved in the tour," he said, somewhat in awe -- and one of his inspirations was the recent Billy Joel/Elton John stadium opus.

And, at a peak in his career, why not?

Maxwell agreed.

"After 13 years in the business, it's appropriate to give it a try."
Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or