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The Imposter
Artist: Kevin Max
Label: Northern Records
Length: 12 Tracks/60 Minutes

Whoa dudes, former DC Talk singer, poet, and artiste Kevin Max has created a modern rock masterpiece with a bunch of oh-so-cool retro touches on The Imposter. Strap in, push play and get ready to be transported to an art-rock, power-pop wonderland with the unique vibrato-laden voice of Kevin Max to guide you. The Imposter features Mr. Max joined by The Prayer Chain’s Andrew Prickett on guitar and production, nifty keyboard sounds, and lotsa great sonic touches. According to the Northern Records web site, lyrical influences include Brennan Manning and Bob Dylan, and preparation for the record “Included work with Mark Hudson (Aerosmith), Van Dyke Parks (Brian Wilson/Beach Boys/The Byrds), Dominic Miller (Sting), Warren Cuccurullo (Missing Persons & Duran Duran), and Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran).” Mr. Max has been hanging with some cool folks, and the influences rub off in an interesting and unique way on The Imposter.

Instant faves are the driving current/retro fuzz-rock hooks of leadoff track “The Confessional Booth”; the industrial-tinged fun of “Jumpstart Your Electric Heart!”; driving rocker “The Royal Path of Life” featuring these lyrical touches:

Give it all you got now
Give it all for free…
Every time I try to get off
I end up getting right back on
And this is the way of it
I cannot get out of this
It’s the royal path of life

The Imposter_nears its conclusion with a superb, low-key rendition of Dylan’s “When He Returns” showcasing Mr. Max singing his heart out accompanied by a New Orleans-sounding gospel piano. But wait! There’s more! Max closes with the haunting end-times hope rocker “Fade to Red (Antigalaxy)” (starting with an eerie spoken-word intro) and a very cool hidden track that is worth the fast-forward.

Check out Kevin Max and his latest The Imposter:

DJ Barry

Barry Nothstine hosts Soul Frequency (http://www.soulfrequency.com ) a weekly FM radio show showcasing progressive rock, instrumental rock, power-pop, psychedelic rock, rock classics and more—great rock for the ages!