The Imposter

Kevin Max | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: October 11, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Northern Records
• ASIN: B000BTNV10
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,816 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Confessional Booth

2. The Imposter

3. Sanctuary

4. Your Beautiful Mind

5. Jumpstart Your Electric Heart!

6. Platform

7. The Royal Path of Life

8. The Imposter's Song

9. Stay

10. I Need You, The End

11. When He Returns

12. Fade To Red

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Imposter settles the minds of critics while maintaining credibility with the art rock fans expecting depth and creativity..." --Christianity Today

Product Description

Kevin Max, best known as the enigmatic member of the band dcTalk, has found the courage and freedom to take another step outside the box to create an album for the world stage that is innovative, provocative, and entertaining.

Produced by Andrew D. Prickett (The Violet Burning, Holly Nelson, and The Lassie Foundation) and Kevin Max, The Imposter contains a sound that recalls the passion of early U2, the soul of Jeff Buckley, and the ambiguity of Blur. It sonically rivals the larger-than-life persona of Kevin Max himself while it reveals his most humble and transparent songwriting to date, lyrically exploring the influences of Brennan Manning and Bob Dylan. There are songs of love and faith and doubt and fear in a variety of authentic musical expressions. They range from pop to fusion, but the album maintains a consistent rock influence throughout. The lyrical theme is imperfection and often touches on the disparity between what we want others to see and who we really are inside.

As one-third of dcTalk, Kevin Max has sold over 8 million records worldwide, won four Grammy Awards, and had a Top 40 pop hit with Just Between You and Me (Virgin), which also received significant airplay on VH1 and MTV.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Message for DC Talk: Don't get back together, December 24, 2005

By 

Philip T. George "Thoora" (Friendswood, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Imposter (Audio CD)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily stands on its own, March 3, 2006

By 

Nathanael (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Imposter (Audio CD)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing, November 29, 2005

By 

Gina "Gina" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Imposter (Audio CD)

Kevin Max, a voice beyond proper description. Lyrics slightly on the edge, poetic, meaningful. "Imposter" delivers. Close your eyes, sit back and absorb. Personally, I find his last CD "Stereotype Be" to be even more of a joy, however "Imposter" will not disappoint.
I was slighlty annoyed by the fact the lyrics to "Imposter" are not included with the CD, but instead available only at Kevinmax.com and as of last evening lyrics to the hidden track and "When He Returns" were not yet posted.