After an eight-year hiatus from the music industry, neo-soul pioneer Maxwell has finally re-emerged with BLACKsummers'night. The album is slated to be the first in a trilogy of the same name. Although the Brooklynite sports a much cleaner-cut look these days, his music offers the same smooth production and sophisticated soul to which his fans are accustomed. Picking up right where he left off, his first single "Pretty Wings" hasn't budged from No. 1 on the R&B charts since it premiered last April. Maxwell will be joined by Grammy-winner Chrisette Michele, whose voice is often compared to jazz and blues greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Esther Phillips. Rounding out the lineup is fellow Grammy-winner Common, the veteran rhyme-spitter/actor from Chicago.