blackSUMMERS'night is Maxwell's first album in seven years and the second in a proposed trilogy (the first was the almost identically titled BLACKsummers'night in 2009, and they're only vaguely similar thematically).
Retro is trendy in R&B right now, so it's business as usual for the 43-year-old. Maxwell flows over instrumentals and inhabits different soundscapes with all the ease and comfort of trying on a new tailor-made suit. As his vocal style was always about subtlety rather than power, he still has plenty to offer. Special shoutout goes to the band. Somebody needs to introduce them to Mr Zayn Malik.
