Customer Reviews

Between the Fence & the Universe

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hands down, Kevin Max is one of the few up-n-coming artists to keep a careful eye on. I'm certain that it's really only a matter of time before he's immortalized. Case in point, I've read that he's been heralded as "the next Peter Gabriel," and judging from all three of his solo releases (Stereotype Be, Raven Songs 101, Between the Fence and the Universe), this is a perfectly fair assessment. Like Gabriel, he is having difficult shrugging off an affiliation with a very popular former band (Gabriel-Genesis, KMax-dc Talk), yet does not let the association discourage him from making music entirely his own. Also like Gabriel, KMax is a poet capable of creating the profound out of everyday experiences. Both he and Gabriel are masters of combining multiple styles and several different world influences to create their own unique musical visions.

Personally, I think that in time, Stereotype Be and Raven Songs 101 (a spoken word album he made with Adrian Belew) will both be remembered as two of the greatest underground hits of this decade. Both are both brilliant and refreshing in sound and lyrics, and it is difficult to top their epic visions with a mere EP. That said, Between the Fence and the Universe is a good album, and my only regret is that it's over before it starts.

Drawing influence mainly from The Beatles and U2 (and it's a nice memory), KMax continues his popular thread of honest, poetic lyrics (he successfully continues to bite his thumb at CCM conventions with lines like, "[God] blows away any myth taught in Sunday School," in an attempt to take his faith outside of the box, another simularity to Peter Gabriel's spiritual music) and interesting sounds, though whereas SB and RS101 integrated all types of world music into the mix, BTFATU keeps it mainly Western European. Thus, though KMax's lyrics are as good as they've ever been, BTFATU does not have the musical poignancy of his previous efforts. This probably has more to do with the fact that the songs are in their demo stages here, but they still are very professional sounding and contain lyrics and music that are a throwback to the 1960s and 70s, when songs were actualy ABOUT something poignant (imagine that!).

Overall, the EP remains an impressive powerful work, with catchy songs and compelling lyrics about life, love, and other miscellaneous topics. Favorite tracks: Irish Hymn, To the Dearly Departed, and the catchy cover of Cohen's Halleluiah, but they are all very absorbing. Unlike Stereotype Be and Raven Songs 101, this is not a masterpiece, but it at least wets our appetite for what will hopefully be Max's next masterpiece--Put on the Masquerade, due out later this year.

I found the "Between the Fence and the Universe" CD to be a most excellent experience! Somebody give this guy a Grammy already. Here's how I rate each song:
1. SEEK: encouraging and uplifting.
2. 21ST CENTURY DARLINGS: totally rocks!
3. IRISH HYMN: Beatle-flavored inspiration.
4. STRANDED 72.5: groovy guitars and melodic vocals.
5. GOLDEN: beautiful, endearing lyrics blended into a timeless tune. Title speaks for itself!
6. HALLELUJAH: haunting and tearfully sweet ballad.
7. TO THE DEARLY DEPARTED: stirring and hopeful rhthmns.

I only wish there were more than seven songs recorded on this CD. If you loved the "Stereotype Be" CD, you won't regret this sohomore experience!

As I have said on a previous review, Kevin Max has a powerful and well-trained voice. Colorful and filled with vibratos that makes every song a unique experience. "The Imposter" was a perfect record. This one is not so good, but every KMax record is a unique experience. Very different from the previous ones.

Kevin Max could very well be the next Sting or Peter Gabriel, or greater. One thing is for certain - you'd be hard pressed at present to find a more underrated artist.

1. SEEK: Great upbeat number, rocks.
2. 21ST CENTURY DARLINGS: A brilliant tune. Sort of Kevin Max fronting the Mars Volta.
3. IRISH HYMN: Fun ballad. Perfect for fervent drunken buddies to belt out in olde saloons. Love it.
4. STRANDED 72.5: "Oh my love..you're changing every day...in every possible wa-ay...." Joking aside this is an excellent feel-good tune.
5. GOLDEN: Heart-wrenching lyrics, powerful rocking ballad.
6. HALLELUJAH: My least favorite cover of this well-covered piece. Mostly due to the overly-structured "metronome"-style beat which halts the flow of the song, and, the sort of 'Doo Wop' vocals in the background. His live version in concert should have been included instead; I have heard that performance and it's untouchable.
7. TO THE DEARLY DEPARTED: Visceral and gut-wrenching lyrics. Painfully beautiful melody. Probably my favorite to listen to on this album.

This EP is wonderful. I wish it was a full album as the songs here are great but you have to wonder if he had enough songs for an album but chose instead to only offer up the best. Either way, this EP is better I think than Stereotype Be. The songs seem to be more melodic taking you on a journey together as well as individually than Stereotype Be. I hated dc Talk breaking up and I still hope and pray that they reunite and put out many more albums but it's good to see Kevin succeeding in reaching out and challenging himself to produce better music.

This is a solid EP. Criticizm towards Kevin Max regarding whether or not he's still a Christian, and towards his music is ridiculous to me. The beauty of Kevin's music is that he doesn't put his message right out there in the open.

DC Talk breaking up was the best thing that ever happened to Kevin Max. TobyMac is a travesty to music and christianity. And tait is mediocre at best. Kevin Max plays real music. He plays with real emotion and sings about real life things. If you're a christian who can't handle that, then please go listen to Toby Mac talk about what a huge party christianity is.

We should all be thanking people like kevin max for bringing some legitimacy back into Christian music, not bashing him for doing so.

I've wondered for the last several years whether KMAX was a Christian. His interviews and songs being the source of this curiousity. In regards to his latest, I'd read the lyrics before purchasing this album. It's ok to "go out of the box" but don't leave the Faith while doing so. lilmacumd@yahoo.com