R&B star Maxwell returns to spotlight and to Indy

David Lindquist

October 14, 2008 by David Lindquist

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Maxwell is attempting one of the more intriguing do-overs in music history.

When the R&B star pulled the plug on his career six years ago, it wasn't because of any scandal or drop-off in popularity. His album at the time, 2001's "Now," debuted at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Top 200 chart.

But weary of the grind of making albums and going on tour, the singer who helped define the "neo-soul" genre in the 1990s stayed on the sidelines until a surprise appearance at this summer's BET Awards -- where he sang "Simply Beautiful" in tribute to Al Green.

Maxwell is nudging back toward the spotlight with concerts such as the October 17th show at the Murat Theatre.

The New York City native promises his next studio album will arrive in stores in 2009, and the new work reminds him of 1996's "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite."

"It's almost like I'm writing my first record again," he says.

A new look accompanies the 35-year-old's comeback. Maxwell's signature voluminous hairstyle is gone, replaced by closely cropped cut. During a recent phone interview, he was speaking while in transit to a Manhattan barber.

Maxwell says his latest lyrics aren't "self-absorbed," because he's not drawing on celebrity-related source material.

"In the last three years, I actually met girls who had no idea who I was," he says. "Whatever heartbreaks or great moments I experienced, they were real. It's good to have real-life experience behind the work I'm trying to present to the world."

The creamy-toned tenor is now ready to tell the story of fictional character Black Summers, who moves from bad experiences to better ones across a trilogy he's named "Black Summers' Night." Each word corresponds with the title of an album: "Black" in 2009, "Summers'." in 2010 and "Night" in 2011.

While a lot of studio time will be logged to complete the ambitious trilogy, Maxwell says he's focused on live performances.

"You get the best word-of-mouth by doing a tour," he says. "I think no one can truly deny a show. At the end of the day, the person is right there singing it. Either they're hitting those notes or they're not."

Forum: Music

Tags: 

Maxwell, r&b, neo-soul, murat

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