In recent days, I've been digging some really good music. Most notably, from the recent release from Kevin Max of DC Talk fame. He has a new release out NOW titled Cotes d'Armor and it's really good! You can read my review written for local radio station WYCE below. As a side note - he's recently moved back to the GR area and will be investing some of his time and energy into the downtown area music scene. Looking forward to seeing him in November at Schuller's.
KEVIN MAX - Cotes d’ Armor (True Rebels)
While the distinctive voice of the Grand Rapids raised Kevin Max is immediately recognizable - the overall sound found throughout his latest remix release plays like something new for the former member of DC Talk. Self-described by Max as ‘poptronica,’ it’s fairly evident from the start that the singer/songwriter is heavily influenced by the blips, bleeps and bounce that link both electronic and pop music to the point where every song here has some tinge of it.
On the opener and first single “On Yer Bike,” the fast paced pop is laced throughout. Other tracks worth some attention include the lush and heartfelt “Your Beautiful Mind;” the mysterious “Traveler;” the building crescendo of drums and percussion found in “Future love Song;” the overall contribution of Adrian Belew on “Even When It Hurts”- to name only a few of the standouts. Also of note are the two instrumental tracks: the Dracula inspired “Train to Transylvania” and Hot Chip like “Death of CCM.”
In the end, the release from Kevin Max, who has recently relocated to the Grand Rapids area with his wife and family, borders on ‘excellent’ with only a few minor setbacks throughout. While Max may not be as famous as he once was during his days as a strictly Christian artist, his music is arguably now more accessible, more mature, and more poetic than ever before.
~ Reviewed by Jeff Bouma
KEVIN MAX - Cotes d’ Arm
You can also see Kevin Max's latest video for the first single from the album - On Yer Bike! A little weird but oh, well.
