Sounds like … a broad array of alt-rock and Brit-pop influences including U2, Morrissey, The Killers, Coldplay, Blur, David Bowie, Franz Ferdinand, and Keane.
At a glance … offering more openly spiritual and vulnerable lyrics and a better understanding of his stylistic range, Kevin Max's The Imposter is a slight improvement over his already strong solo debut.
Michael Tait and tobyMac have both done well since parting ways with dc Talk, so why hasn't Kevin Max met with similar success? Three probable reasons come to mind. Max's stylistic direction isn't widely supported by Christian radio, forcing him to try his alt-pop/indie rock with the more competitive mainstream. Related to that, some would say Max's songs haven't shown enough originality, sounding too derivative of his musical influences. And then there's his rock star persona, which rubs some Christians the wrong way, enough to call him arrogant, egotistical, and a poseur; some have even questioned his faith.
All of this is indirectly addressed on Max's second-full length effort, allowing The Imposter to settle the minds of critics while maintaining credibility with the art rock fans expecting depth and creativity. Inspired by two books from Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba's Child, Max's album title refers to the conflict between flesh and spirit common to all of us. In recent years, Max has left Forefront Records (still the home label for Tait and tobyMac), moved to Los Angeles, signed to the Californian Christian label Northern Records, and networked with several music industry vets. Between the hard knocks he's faced since 2001's Stereotype Be album—in the music biz and through his divorce—the enigmatic singer/songwriter acknowledges that he is indeed flawed, like all of us.
With the confessional title track, he acknowledges the fabrications of his life and pleads for forgiveness, appropriately blurring the distinction between God and earthly relationships. Viewing dc Talk's classic "What if I Stumble" as a prelude to the inevitable, Max's "Platform" asks the tough, Psalm-like questions in the aftermath of sin: "Why'd You choose me when You knew I wasn't tough enough?/Why'd You send me when You knew I would run?/Why'd You put me into places that I didn't want?/Why'd You call me when You knew I would hang up?"
Such vulnerability seems uncharacteristic in light of Max's previous work, and it makes the equally blurry "I Need You, The End" an even more poignant declaration of dependence. "The Imposter's Song" also makes a fitting response with comforting words of grace: "Please believe, you're beautiful when you're not made up … You're beautiful without the makeup." In the catchy radio single "Sanctuary," he longs for the peace and satisfaction that can only come from God: "Hand me the code to your gates of knowledge/Teach me the truth I never learned in college/Let me walk this valley till I find a place called home."
It's not all about Max, however. The gorgeous "Your Beautiful Mind" was written for an atheist friend, outlining a hopeful conversation and conversion. The dark, industrial-flavored rock of "Jump Start Your Electric Heart" is his response to others who live a phony existence: "It's time to draw the shades, eyes are open wide, a brave new world to face/Your maker is ready to connect the hard drive."....
Continue Reading at this Christian Music Review
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