Friends,fiends,believers,non-believers and don't knows this week's blog features one of the greatest contemporary SOUL artists who has just released his first album for SEVEN long years.....Gerald Maxwell Rivera...aka Maxwell
Listening to his new album blackSUMMERS'night ,the follow-up to 2009's BLACKsummersnight , the second album of a trilogy , makes me glad to be a SOUL man as it encapsulates all I've loved about SOUL music since Marvin changed my life with " What's Going On " .
I've been a huge fan since Maxwell's seminal debut album " Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite " released back in 1996 . At the time I was A&R Director of Columbia ( the label not the country ;-) ) in the UK so saw him perform at numerous Sony conferences and in front of a real audiences too - as opposed to Sony executives who must have been the worst audience for any artist to play too .
I've been fortunate to see most of the great SOUL artists live...Marvin at The Albert Hall 1974...Stevie Wonder at his peak many times...Prince - possibly the greatest live performer ever -James Brown ....Maxwell is right up there as a live performer...I was astonished when I saw him for the first time in New York at a Columbia Records showcase ,he was amazing ....I met him afterwards and he was such a lovely guy ,modest but so confident in his talent ,quite rightly .
I've always been drawn to the more enigmatic artists.....Marvin,Curtis Mayfield,Prince,Erykah Badu,to name but a few,and Maxwell is worthy of their company
blackSUMMERS'night features the first single " Lake By The Ocean "
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsSu0bRZEHM
It's brilliant....and listening to it it's clear who Frank Ocean's inspiration is !
It's a joy that after a 7 year break Maxwell has returned with a great album,he sounds better than ever,the songs and production are outstanding....do yourself and stream or buy blackSUMMERS'night asap...it will make your life better
The Soul Guru loves YOU
xx
Listening to his new album blackSUMMERS'night ,the follow-up to 2009's BLACKsummersnight , the second album of a trilogy , makes me glad to be a SOUL man as it encapsulates all I've loved about SOUL music since Marvin changed my life with " What's Going On " .
I've been a huge fan since Maxwell's seminal debut album " Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite " released back in 1996 . At the time I was A&R Director of Columbia ( the label not the country ;-) ) in the UK so saw him perform at numerous Sony conferences and in front of a real audiences too - as opposed to Sony executives who must have been the worst audience for any artist to play too .
I've been fortunate to see most of the great SOUL artists live...Marvin at The Albert Hall 1974...Stevie Wonder at his peak many times...Prince - possibly the greatest live performer ever -James Brown ....Maxwell is right up there as a live performer...I was astonished when I saw him for the first time in New York at a Columbia Records showcase ,he was amazing ....I met him afterwards and he was such a lovely guy ,modest but so confident in his talent ,quite rightly .
I've always been drawn to the more enigmatic artists.....Marvin,Curtis Mayfield,Prince,Erykah Badu,to name but a few,and Maxwell is worthy of their company
blackSUMMERS'night features the first single " Lake By The Ocean "
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsSu0bRZEHM
It's brilliant....and listening to it it's clear who Frank Ocean's inspiration is !
It's a joy that after a 7 year break Maxwell has returned with a great album,he sounds better than ever,the songs and production are outstanding....do yourself and stream or buy blackSUMMERS'night asap...it will make your life better
The Soul Guru loves YOU
xx
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