For those who remember Maxwell as the Casanova behind boudoir jams like "Sumthin' Sumthin'," his first disc in eight years holds a surprise: bad vibes. BLACKsummers'night is a breakup record, with storm-tossed songs full of regrets and recriminations. "I go insane/Crazy sometimes/Trying to keep you from losing your mind," Maxwell sings in "Fistful of Tears." He remains a student of Marvin Gaye...

We live in a golden age of one-named, soulful lovemen. The radio is full of their heavy breathing: Seal (he wants a kiss from a rose), D'Angelo (he wants some brown sugar), Usher (you make him wanna) and Babyface (king of the world). All of these artists owe a lot to Prince. Back in the Eighties, when hip-hop was dropping the bomb, Prince showed everybody how to be a soulman in a hip-hop world,...