“Class is in session tonight.” Neo-soul crooner Maxwell is back. His new track “All the Ways that Love Can Heal,” his upcoming fifth LP, BlackSUMMERS’night is a velvet carpet of come-ons and sighing horns as Maxwell proclaims: “A thousand races into space/ Universal law never makes mistakes.”
“All the Ways” is Maxwell’s third single following sultry ballads “1990x” and “Lake By the Ocean.” The singer recently unveiled a sensual video for the latter track, which he described as a “two clandestine lovers who meet with liquid dreams.”
“Sonically, it’s a lot more hi-fi,” Maxwell told Rolling Stone of the new album in 2014. “I wouldn’t say electronic because it’s still pretty soulful, but it’s just a little bit more trippier than the first album. I really wanted it to be really traditional. This one has the same elements, but there’s something a little bit more … I would say cyborg-ish about it.”
Maxwell – who delivered an orchestral version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” at Sunday’s BET Awards – kicked off a summer tour earlier this month. His next date is June 28th Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the trek stretches until August 7th. BlackSUMMERS’night is out July 1st via Columbia Records.