Well, well, well. After the return of D’Angelo and possibly Andre 3000, too, look what we have here: Maxwell, the soundtrack to everyone’s late-night lovemaking, has come to invade bedrooms worldwide with a new song, his first in seven years. Years ago, Maxwell promised the second installment to his blacksummers’night trilogy (the first of which, BLACKsummers’night, was released in 2009), but that sadly never materialized … until now. Maxwell has announced blackSUMMERS’night (yeah, he’s really running with this) will finally arrive on July 1, and he’s even going to tour it for you. But first, let’s all luxuriate in the album’s first single, “Lake By the Ocean,†a song so smooth and admiring of nature’s beauty that you’ll wonder how you still managed to get swept away in the end.
According to Maxwell, the purpose of all this water talk isn’t the extended sexual innuendo all your minds in the gutter are assuming. (“Being content in a lake when you have an entire ocean near you is the epitome of true happiness,†he told fans on Facebook.) But we know better: “We’ll be one like drops in slow motion†— Maxwell, who are you kidding? This is pure baby-making bait if we’ve ever heard one, and damn right, we’re biting. Sade, your turn.