By Keith Murphy

“This is very surreal for me. I’m not used to this,” said a humbled Maxwell backstage at the 2009 Grammy Awards nomination ceremony on Dec 3rd in Los Angeles. The enigmatic R&B crooner-songwriter seemed genuinely surprised after learning he was up for six Grammy nods, including a coveted Song of The Year award for his gorgeous, heartbreaking hit “Pretty Wings.” “I’ve been gone for eight years,” he added. “I’ve been throwing out my trash, buying my milk and living in basic obscurity.”

Yet Maxwell’s triumphant return has been anything but obscure. The 36-year-old performer, who first released his 1996 neo-soul debut Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, an album that went on to move over two million copies (he followed up that release with 1998’s avant garde Embrya, 1999’s MTV Unplugged album, and 2001’s more straight-ahead Now), has certainly made up for lost time. The critically acclaimed BLACKsummers’night, his first studio album in almost a decade, debuted atop the Billboard album chart, pushing an impressive 316,000 copies its first week. Maxwell’s sold-out 2009 tour ranked among Pollstar’s top 20 concerts in 2009, averaging an impressive $587,183 per show. And with the news of his multiple Grammy nods, the singer is poised to have one of music’s most intriguing comebacks. SoulSummer.com caught up with him to chop it up about where he’s been and where music’s going.

Soulsummer.com: You are one of the few acts that could headline a sold-out tour after being away for close to a decade. Was there any apprehension taking it to the stage after all these years—and without a new album in stores?

It validates the music I’m doing. I knew that I wanted to go on the road without my album first. I wanted to go more old school. That’s what Motown used to do. They didn’t have an album to support; they just sent people out on revues. I think there is nothing more palpable then being in a room with someone playing a song. It’s the difference between sending someone a Hallmark card with roses on the cover as opposed to an actual rose. That’s the feeling you get from a live show. I just wanted to push the notion back to when music could sell first on its own without all the trappings that have occurred during the mp3 generation. You have to do it like the Grateful Dead. That’s why I feel like we just need to bring it back to the show because the digital age has taken over to such a degree that that’s only route you have as an artist. Every artist needs to get their show right. Because you will be around forever if you can always perform for the people.

SS: How gratified are you that BLACKsummers’night was so well received by younger fans in this era of Auto-Tune?

I don’t want to be looked at as an extra this or that. In some way we all have our formula, the things that we do that represent us. I try different things. But I still don’t know about this business [laughs]. That’s why going away kind of grounded me.

SS: When you see a traditional soul song like “Pretty Wings” become a Top 40 pop hit, do you feel like your time away helped you become a more confident songwriter?

It’s more than that. I feel like I’m a better person now. I know who I am as a man. I know myself apart from my career and the notoriety of it. I think what happens is it blurs and merges to such a degree that you become an android. You really don’t trust or connect with people. I started to notice that about myself at around 2000.

SS: There was a point in your career when you were no longer the critical darling as you tried to move away from the neo-soul tag with Embrya. What are your thoughts on the lukewarm reaction you were receiving from the critics back then?

The crazy thing about reviews is they are never necessarily so. Look at Embrya. It went platinum a couple times but it was seen by some critics as a let down. But interestingly enough it did as well as anything I ever put out. So it’s funny how an opinion can color people’s perception of the truth. But in the end I’m just grateful. I can’t believe I get to do this. I can’t believe I got to get away for seven-eight years to enjoy life before I got too old; before I had kids and not understand what they are going through because I never did it or was so sequestered or on the grind. I’m over the moon about the fact that I’ve been given another chance; that people are saying, “Yeah, go!”

“Help_Somebody” — Maxwell featuring Nas

SS: There’s one song on BLACKsummers’night—“Help Somebody”—that became a fan favorite while you were on tour. What is that track all about?

It’s about facing your responsibilities and fears. It’s about what it truly means to do something for somebody else. “I Iove ‘Help Somebody’ because it’s a song that represents the humanitarian aspect of what I’m pushing forward. I think the new songs really captivate me the most.

SS: You’ve talked about how music helped you get out of your isolation as a kid growing up in Brooklyn.

Music definitely gave me a voice and a platform. Before then, every day was more internal. I wasn’t the most chatty person growing up. I wasn’t the class clown. I used to get in trouble at school sometimes here and there just because I felt like the curriculum was not right. I had opinions on how I should be taught [laughs]. You know, that teacher that makes you write everything that’s on the board, but never speaks to you? That whole activist side of me would come out. But apart from that I never thought music could be a career in any way. That’s just a blessing.

SS: Are you optimistic about the future of music?

I remember I saw Prince and he said he hopes there’s another era of that great music we had. We definitely need voices that speak and reflect what’s going on right now socially. It’s not really happening. But I think it’s coming.

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