
Maxwell has announced venues and nailed down a new starting date for his impending summer tour in support of his first new album in almost a decade.
The R&B star kicks off the outing June 17 in Grand Rapids, MI. The 24-city trek rolls through the rest of June and all of July before wrapping up Aug. 1 in Miami, FL. Dates and venues for the tour are included below.
"BLACKsummers'night," which hits retailers July 7, is the first installment of a planned trilogy. The remaining two records--"BlackSUMMERS'night" and "Blacksummers'NIGHT"--are slated for release in 2010 and 2011, respectively, according to a press release. The soul singer reunited with long-time collaborator Hod David for the album's songwriting and production.
The forthcoming set's first single, "Pretty Wings," is available now; the video for the track is streaming at the singer's website, and the song is streaming at Maxwell's MySpace page.
Maxwell, who will headline the main stage of New Orleans' Essence Music Festival July 4, spent much of last fall on the road, marking his first live shows in six years. He performed for the first time in South Africa at the Macufe Music Festival last October.
Maxwell's debut album, "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite," surfaced in 1996 and garnered a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album and double-platinum certification by RIAA. The singer's most recent release, 2001's "Now," marked his third studio album and debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200.