What is Maxwell: Blacksummers’ Night!

So the tour buses have been unpacked and (hopefully only for the moment) the instruments are all in cases.  Maxwell just wrapped up the fall leg of his Blacksummers’ night tour which has been receiving rave reviews and I think it’s about time you heard mine.  SU-PERB!!!  In fact, so nice, I saw it twice.  That’s right, while in Atlanta a few weeks ago, I took a break from the studio and caught the Phillips Arena show.  A week later, I saw it again in Dallas at American Airlines Arena.. Un huh, Maxwell is packing out arenas with this show..  Anyway, let me start off by mentioning BLACKsummers’ night the album.  Also, let me first admit that I’m a Maxwell neophyte, I just never really got into the Maxwell movement… well, I did finally buy a previously owned copy 0f Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite at the c.d. trader around the corner, I think it still has the $4.99 sticker on it.. uhh, that was about two years ago.  I think the reason for my apprehension has always been that neo-soul label (I’ll expound later).  So anyway, one day as we were at my parents house visiting, Kanye pulls out the disc.. I said Kanye pulls out the disc… well that might not sound peculiar to you, but it does to me. Kanye? …..listening to Maxwell?  At that point it definitely warranted a listen, we even watched the bonus d.v.d.  Let me go on record right now by say ing that this is the best sounding r&b album (notice I didn’t say neo-soul) that I’ve heard in a lonnnnng time.  Let me clarify.  As a songwriter, I usually judge songs by they’re “wow!! I wish I had written that” factor, and with the exception of two or three, I must admit that the song writing is not really knocking me over..  But this album just sounds and feels so damn good.