Well, seven years since his last LP and I'm very VERY pleased to say Maxwell has deemed it time to return. I know that his public persona is a mixture of Neo Soul/Pop/Sexy etc so some may view him as a contradictory artist in as far as the Prince-esq element of him immediately sets him apart from the Indie Soul scene. And there's a great deal of truth in that - like Prince, his music is about love and sex, invariably. And as such, his music instantly propelled into the Pop charts and appealed to the masses- hence going multi-platinum. That said, following Prince's lead (as did D'Angelo to a certain extent), Maxwell managed to prove that keeping the quality of his music 'true', he was able to remain respectful to the foundations of real, credible music whilst managing to sustain a high profile career.
All the while, taking some seven years out of music and the public eye out of conscious choice, it is testament to his character - a guy who is not driven by money or fame, yes he openly admits to making music to (and I quote) "clean the kitchen or make love to your girl to and make babies", he has grown from the embryonic days of his career (excuse the pun) and if you go on to YouTube, you'll see recent interview where he proves to be down to earth, have humility, humbleness and to a certain extent, shyness.
All the while, taking some seven years out of music and the public eye out of conscious choice, it is testament to his character - a guy who is not driven by money or fame, yes he openly admits to making music to (and I quote) "clean the kitchen or make love to your girl to and make babies", he has grown from the embryonic days of his career (excuse the pun) and if you go on to YouTube, you'll see recent interview where he proves to be down to earth, have humility, humbleness and to a certain extent, shyness.
His first single 'Pretty Wings' is classy, sexy and understated. He has not tried to compensate for being away in this new single, instead he's managed to draw on his experience and has grown as a person and artist. Gone with the indulgent 'fro haircut, he is a normal guy and said himself that to make music of worth, you have to have life experience - something that is very tough to do whilst in the public eye.
I'm waiting with great anticipation for the new album (Tuesday 7th July 2009) and as a long term fan, I like many others feel like I know him in my own strange way. I'm proud to say I'm a fan and I admire him for his conscious decision to take so long to develop as a person and artist. He will likely sell millions of his new album by default - past fans still listen to his old music and would purchase the album regardless. But I dont think he's worried about this album blowing up or simply simmering gently. He's done it for himself and is thankful to have the attention of so many ears...and we (the fans) are in turn grateful to have him back in our lives.
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