BLACKsummers'night

BLACKsummers’night is the fourth studio album by American R&B and neo soul musician Maxwell, released July 7, 2009 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2007 to 2009 at Chung King Studios, Bowery Digital, and Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City.[11] The album was produced entirely by Maxwell and musician Hod David. [11] BLACKsummers’night is Maxwell’s first album since his hiatus after his third album, Now (2001), and serves as the first part of his scheduled trilogy of albums.[12] The music of BLACKsummers’night is rooted in general soul music, and is more straightforward than previous albums such as Embrya (1998). Maxwell’s lyrics concern his falling in and out of love during his sabbatical period prior to the album’s release.
The album debuted at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 316,000 copies, and it also peaked at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Internet Albums charts. Its first single, “Pretty Wings”, peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Upon release, the album received universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 85/100 from Metacritic.