Maxwell

After six years of waiting, R&B singer Maxwell finally gives fans a peek of his highly anticipated new album. Today (Sept. 7), Maxwell uploaded a snippet of "Pretty Wings" on his MySpace site, the singer's first communication about new music since announcing his next album, "Black Summer's Night," on the site in October 2006. Columbia Records music exec Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua tells Billboard he expects the album, originally due in February 2007, next year. "Maxwell's still working with Sade's band, his tried-and-true team," he says. "He took some time off and now he's ready." "He's recorded so much material that he's got a couple of albums done," he continues. "So, he might be going out on the road touring for this album soon. I won't say the album will drop first-quarter 2008, but [next] summer sounds good." Maxwell's last album, "Now," was released in 2001 and has sold more than 1.7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Maxwell was to release a studio album on Columbia Records in February 2007 under the title 'Black Summers' Night'. On the morning of February 14, 2007, Maxwell posted a blog on his MySpace page, explaining the delay. He also posted an audio message apologizing to fans for the delay. In a blog posted to Maxwell's MySpace page on July 25, 2007, it states that Maxwell is still working on his upcoming album. He goes on to thank his loyal fans for being patient.