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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good album, just way too short, July 7, 2009
Maxwell is very talented and has once again put out some good music after his long hiatus. The album starts off with really strong with Bad habits, Cold, and Pretty Wings. The next two songs HELP SOMEBODY and STOP THE WORLD sort of remind me a some old Marvin Gaye songs (just not as good as his songs). They are not my favorites on the album but they are still decent songs. The last three songs are good and the album ends with the last track as an instrumental. Lyrically and the production of the album will not disappoint you at all. The only complaint i would have is that the album is too short. After 8 years i thought the album would have 12 songs at minimum. Other than that this is a very respectable effort by Maxwell.
Stand out tracks:
Bad Habits
Cold
Pretty Wings
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
8 Is Enough? (Rating: 7 out of 10- -3.5 stars), July 7, 2009
Maxwell Rivera, the R&B veteran 1st studio album in over 8 years, and 4th studio album (not counting Maxwell Unplugged) of his career, comes with the highly anticipated BLACKsummmers'night, an album I've been waiting for over some time myself. Maxwell has always had good voice. Even times when the lyrics aren't that good to a song he used his voice to carry a listener through a song over some nice production (a very popular formula in music). I really was never a big fan of him when I first heard him on the video "Luxury:Cococure" (I don't know about you but seeing a video of a grown man half naked in a bathtub seems to traumatize me even 11 years later). Overall he has created some classics like his previous album Now. BLACKsummers'night really has a cool laidback vibe whereas the type of atmosphere you can listen to with someone you love, or on a laid back evening, as he's always created those smooth tunes to play in your mind. The big problem that I have that this album is short, with nine tracks, just under 38 minutes total.
Some of the songs here on BLACKsummers' night are really hit or miss, mostly on the side of the better. "Bad Habits" really is a nice starter for the album, followed by the lead single "Cold" with a little upbeat. "Prettywings" and "Stoptheworld" both slows things down, for a laid back atmosphere, a style I love, and I'm sure you will too. "Helpsomebody" is cool, but it really fails to stand out, both lyrically and musically. "Loveyou" maybe has the potential to be a great song, but I'm just not seeing it here. "Fistfuloftears" has great lyrics, but personally I'm not feeling the production here. Playingpossum" is another slow song with a nice acoustic guitar playing by Hood David in the background. The album ends with a groovy instrumental "Phoenixrise". Maxwell usually ends his albums with nice tracks like this, but the only problem I have is that it is only 2 minutes and 38 seconds.
With all the hype over the summer for Maxwell, BLACKsummmers'night had the potential to be a superior album, but falls short. Some may think this album seems kind of rushed, but I find it hard to believe with someone who has taken 8 years off, could have came up with something a little better, (and longer too). The music and the voice is there, and has always been there, but fans know that he can do better. On a scale of 1-10, this album is somewhere between a 7 and an 8. Older fans will see enjoyment, while other fans may be disappointed. For all you younger fans (such as myself), you might wanna get up on Now ("I gotta get to know ya..."), and let a grown man show how a great album is supposed to be made. Peace.
Lyrics: B+
Production: A-
Guest Appearances: N/A
Musical Vibes: B
Top 5 Tracks:
1. Badhabits
2. Stoptheworld
3. Cold
4. Playingpossum
5. Phoenixrise
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I Expected Waaaay Better!!, July 15, 2009
I'm glad to see that Maxwell did well with his 1st week's sales, but a part of me doesn't feel that it's very well deserved. I'm a big fan of Maxwell's work, but this album I'm sorry to say is by far his worst. I'm digging only 3 or 4 of the measly 9, actually 8.5, songs on the album. The production is just way out of line with what I as a fan would expect from Maxwell. The lyrics are on-point but the over-all sound & vibe is just not there for me. My favorite songs on the album are "Bad Habits" and then "Pretty Wings." "Stop the World" and "Love You" are both nice. "Fist Full of Tears" is slowly growing on me.
I know that a lot of people asked this question too; "What's up with the idea of the 9, I mean 8.5 songs???" Paying for an album with just 8.5 songs on it and only 3 or 4 songs that are really good while the others are just "listenable" or ones that I could pretty much do without is really not a good look. If you are going to put out an album with so few songs they better damn-well be nothing less than Grade A!!! Half of the songs on this album are Grade C+ at best!
I really hope the rest of the Black Summer Night project is much better than this. Judging by the ratings that some people are giving the album I feel that it is once again that people are choosing to rate the artist and not the actual material on the album. I don't believe that anyone who has followed Maxwell's work can honestly say that this album is on the level of anything else he's ever done. Keeping that in mind along with the fact that all his other albums well deserved 4 and 5 stars, I wonder how/why would anyone give this album 4 or 5 stars???
Face it folks, every artist is entitled to put out a dud here & there especially when they have a track record of putting out top quality material time & time again. Joe's album "Joe Thomas, New Man" was his 1st dud IMO. This, IMO, is Maxwell's 1st and I hope his last dud! Joe bounced back with his latest album "Signature" and I truly hope/believe that Maxwell will bring something much better on his next release. I'm still a huge fan, but I really expected waaaaaaay better from Maxwell.
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