blackSUMMERS'night (2016)
by Maxwell
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Jul 1, 2016
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Jun 29, 2016
    91
    It exudes enough confidence to let his heart show and to let his music grow in any direction his muse demands.
  2. Uncut
    Aug 5, 2016
    90
    The breadth, scope and sheer suppleness of black SUMMERS'night makes one wish Maxwell worked a whole lot faster. [Sep 2016, p.76]
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  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Jul 27, 2016
    90
    Very few albums are worth such a long wait, though, but blackSUMMERS’night is one of them--it’s an album that should live forever, purely because it sounds so detached from time.
  5. Boston Globe
    Jul 1, 2016
    90
    His deeply felt meditations on matters of the heart and the soul are matched by the meticulously detailed, gorgeously rendered music that surrounds them.
  6. Los Angeles Times
    Jul 1, 2016
    90
    Maxwell’s transcendent falsetto and the soulful jazz, electronic and soul arrangements need no cohesive story line to make them resonate.
  7. AllMusic
    Jul 1, 2016
    90
    While the album is not as fluid as BLACKsummers'night and has a couple frayed ends, it includes a high quantity of open-hearted ballads and variable-tempo jams that sparkle with indisputable power. Each one is supremely sculpted. Their decreased vocal smoothness and increased rhythmic friction are major factors in the set's allure.
  8. Pitchfork
    Jul 12, 2016
    84
    The album may be musing or abstracted, but that’s his hallmark, and blackSUMMERS’night is polished to a blinding sheen.
  9. Rolling Stone
    Jul 1, 2016
    80
    His most consistent set since his debut, Urban Hang Suite, in 1996. Maxwell anchors the cloud-eating sweep of these tracks with solid guitar and bass hooks.
  10. The Guardian
    Jun 30, 2016
    80
    The Grammy-winning soul man is a subeditor’s nightmare, but confusion seems a small price to pay for such a classy comeback collection of anguished R&B.
  11. Exclaim
    Jun 29, 2016
    80
    His fifth studio album, second in a scheduled trilogy of albums and first in seven years. Yet here we are, with tracks evoking previous efforts while remaining fresh to the ear.
  12. Spin
    Jun 29, 2016
    80
    So assured of its luxuriance that it clocks in at a trim 46 minutes, blackSUMMERS’night nonetheless leaves one sated. This distillation is purest Maxwell.
  13. Chicago Tribune
    Jul 5, 2016
    75
    He is subtle rather than strident, sensitive rather than demanding.
  14. Clash Music
    Jul 14, 2016
    70
    This is still an intrinsically Maxwell record, but he navigates familiar tropes through friction and distressed noir-soul, the cohesiveness of the record all the more commendable as a result.
  15. PopMatters
    Jun 30, 2016
    70
    blackSUMMERS’night may not be a fully satisfying meal, but there are enough tasty morsels to leave us craving for the final one-third of the trilogy.
  16. The Observer (UK)
    Jul 5, 2016
    60
    Where his debut was part Marvin Gaye, part Prince, blackSummers’ Night is light on funk, making its creator, in the era of Frank Ocean, look like the yesterday’s man of R&B.

Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Best Album of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. HarlemRens
    Jul 1, 2016
    10
    Maxwell, as usual, showcases his talent as the last true R&B crooner. Never waning from his loyal fanbase as showing he takes the time to makeMaxwell, as usual, showcases his talent as the last true R&B crooner. Never waning from his loyal fanbase as showing he takes the time to make music from his heart and experiences, he is trying to cement his legacy as one of the greatest artists of all time. We can only hope he doesn't take seven years for his next masterpiece.… Full Review »
  2. All_ButTrU4
    May 8, 2022
    7
    Here he goes again ,coming with some prestine R&b that serenades and comforts you with its crooning. He stands unmatched yet again.
  3. pianist-27
    Sep 9, 2016
    8
    Fairly different than the previous album, but still a solid work. There were some songs I personally didn't find enjoyable in the first halfFairly different than the previous album, but still a solid work. There were some songs I personally didn't find enjoyable in the first half of the album, but the second half didn't disappoint.

    Standout tracks: 1990x, Lake by The Ocean, Of All Kind, Listen Hear    … Full Review »
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