Search - Kevin Max :: The Imposter

Give it a chance and you'll be surprised

Music Lover | USA | 10/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are many dc Talk fans, like myself, that wish that dc Talk would get back together and stop all this solo stuff. I spoke with Tai Anderson of Third Day a few weeks ago about this at church and he said that Toby told him that he gets asked almost hourly when they're going to get back together. While many fan's wishes are important that question is actually hurting the solo careers, in my opinion, of TobyMac, Michael Tait and Kevin Max. Every fan of dc Talk puts in a cd and expects to hear something similar to what they loved in dc Talk. When they don't hear it they 'turn off' their ears relatively quickly. My challenge to everyone is keep your ears open on this cd and give it a chance. This cd is not dc Talk nor is it meant to be. Kevin as a solo artists has the freedom to explore the more 'artsy' side of things which is what he's known for (he's written books of poetry and the poetic beginning to songs such as the 'Welcome To the Freakshow' version of the 'The Hardway'). Kevin explores himself in this release and it truly is worth the time to listen. The album goes really well together. It's difficult to pick out a favorite as the album's tracks flow from one to the other. This can either be a plus or a minus depending on your individual point of view. Overall, this album is definitely 5 stars and deserves a good listen with an open mind."

Easily stands on its own

Nathanael | St. Louis, Macau | 03/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, let me start with the review:



I think this is by far Kevin's best effort to date. I think alot of that is owed to production by and song collaboration with Andrew Prickett, though sometimes I'm surprised how polished his production can sound (ie, "This Is The Moment" by The Violet Burning and "Face Your Fun" by The Lassie Foundation), given the super-noisy-dirty production employed by The Prayer Chain in their final albums. Having said that, I'm actually not complaining. They're obviously going for a certain niche - something like 80s Pop / New Wave. Of course I could've sworn I heard keyboards from Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" at some point there.... Ironically, I'm not complaining about that either. I can't believe I just wrote that.



For last, I'll say something to the previous critics:



I, for one, grew up with dc Talk. In fact, the first CD I ever bought was Nu Thang. I loved them, and even now I still think Jesus Freak stands the test of time, even though it clearly has that Nashville/CCM production machine sound as a mark against it. Having said that, I actually had no real desire to seek out any of the solo albums. What I heard right off the bat didn't really impress me. I wouldn't have even given Kevin a second thought if I hadn't seen his stuff pop up on northernrecords.com when I was looking for updates on The Violet Burning and The Lassie Foundation.



I'm rambling on and on to say I think Kevin is the only one who's really put out anything really good since the demise of dc Talk.



As for "lack of spirituality" in the lyrics, I think that's an unfair statement. It may be pretty steeped in metaphor, but I think it's like The Violet Burning's stuff. Christianity is lived out in many many ways, especially in everyday life. It doesn't always have to be an out and out "Christian" album to actually be Christian. God made a beautiful world and life for us to enjoy, marred as it may be, so I don't see anything wrong with songs that focus primarily on that.



Anyway, that was all I had to, except I highly recommend you check out some other Northern Records artists at northernrecords.com."

Message for DC Talk: Don't get back together

Philip T. George | Friendswood, TX | 12/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't believe I actually wrote that. I have been a fan of DC Talk since the "Heavenbound" days. I loved how these guys could combine the essence of Rock, Rap, and Soul into a nice blend. True, they started a little heavy on the rap side, but as they matured, their music was maturing very nicely.

Now you may ask, what does that have to do with Kevin Max. I'm getting to that. When the guys "took a break" (they didn't break up supposedly), I was very doubtful. Combining the styles was what I loved about the group. I thought, "How can they make music without each other." Boy was I ever wrong. Every album that has come out of these guys has been a show stopper for me. Many thought Kevin's "Stereotype Be" was too experimental but I think it was a fabulous introduction into the crazy world of Kmax.

Now comes "Imposter". On first listen, I was hooked. This album rocks with the best of them. The lyrics are extremely thought provoking. There are some glimpses of 80's music that made me smile. The guitar work is fabulous as well.

Don't let Kevin's uniqueness dissuade you from checking out the album. Check it out. You will like. I like."