INTERVIEW: Despite Hiatus, Maxwell is Hotter Than Ever (The Virginian-Pilot)
By Rashod Ollison / The Virginian-Pilot (from HamptonRoads.com)
June 17, 2010
Maxwell needed a break. It turned into eight years off.
The time away from the stage and the studio was enriching. The pop-soul star melted into everyday life around his native New York City and fell in and out of love, which inspired a wave of new songs.
“I got involved in some really unconditional, they-didn’t-know-who-I-was kind of relationships,” said the singer-songwriter, who along with Jill Scott will perform at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater on Tuesday. “I went about my business and watched the industry grow and change in different ways.”
When the platinum-selling heartthrob receded from pop view, the sensitive neo-soul sound he helped to shape in the mid-’90s was supplanted by a heavily digitalized, decidedly raunchier urban style. Maxwell’s Sade-meets-Marvin-Gaye approach was missed. So when he finally released his comeback album, last year’s “BLACKsummers’night,” the reception was immediate.
The album, a warm and focused synthesis of jazz-kissed R&B and wistful pop balladry, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and swiftly went platinum. It spawned four hit singles, including “Pretty Wings,” which debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. At the Grammy ceremony in February, Maxwell, who gave a memorable performance with pop-soul legend Roberta Flack, picked up two gleaming gramophones for “BLACKsummers’night.” The album garnered six nominations.
Read more at HamptonRoads.com
This entry was posted on Friday, June 18th, 2010 at 10:15 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
thelatestmaxwellnews June 18th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I can’t say for sure. At least at 11:15-11:30p, the concert should be over with (Guy Torry, Jill Scott, Maxwell). If you’re going to see Erykah Badu, I have no clue really.