Description
AWOL is an album by the American singer and songwriter Kevin Max of dc Talk fame, funded by a PledgeMusic campaign and independently released on Blind Thief Recordings in June 2018.
This seems like the perfect followon from 2016’s ‘Playing Games With The Shadow‘ with Kevin continuing to express his ’80s influences. He describes ‘AWOL’ thus, “It is all about England. . . not one of my musical heroes are from the States. I am locked in New Wave New Romantic Post Punk UK world.” Consequently, the songs seem to be haunted by ghosts of the ’80s popping into my mind as I listen and then he takes me somewhere else. His admiration for The Smiths has always been evident and here former bassist Andy Rourke makes an immediate appearance on the opening cut «Melissa» and later on «Half Of The Better One». My favourite of the three songs that feature Rourke is «Yeshua» which grooves along like classic Smiths. Elsewhere on the album the bassist is John Maron who contributes some sterling work. I love the indie rocking title cut and its anthemic “we are the sons of liberty” chorus and its positive message of an alternative cultural approach built on love and unity. «Glory Boys» has a suitable Duran vibe which fits the lyrics perfectly. Different styles of atmospheric synth pop surface on «Moonracer» and «Eurorail». The song «Brand New Hit» sums up the current dichotomy of Max’s position as an artist. He is between two worlds: “all the people from the past just want it to last and all the people in the future want a brand new hit.” Like the best creative artists, Max is forever re-inventing and moving forwards but has yet to find the support he deserves at radio despite making a series of excellent releases, this being the latest. As we’ve come to expect from Max’s solo work, lyrically this overflows with poetry and observations on life and culture. Sprinkled throughout his faith is evident too. No longer is he the bad boy of Christian music, these days he seems to be one of the most robust champions of creativity in a scene awash with stereotypical modern worship. [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, May 2018]
Kevin Max gifted us with two albums this year, AWOL and Romeo Drive, both of them outside the realm of anything he’s done before. The first of them, AWOL, is a rich and textured ‘80s alternative album that features some of the best songs he’s ever written. If you’re judged by the company you keep, then the fact that Andy Rourke of the Smiths plays bass on this thing should be an indication of how good it is. The chiming guitars and lush synths scream Echo and the Bunnymen, or the Church, and Max’s singular voice sounds awesome in this setting – he’s able to go full Simon Le Bon here, and it works.
But it’s the songs that make this record. They’re unfailingly melodic, dark and atmospheric. «Prodigal (Run to You)» is a classic pop tune with some delightful guitar flourishes, «Glory Boys» is a perfect Duran Duran tribute, «Half of the Better One» jangles with the best of them, «Brand New Hit» swaggers on a bold, punky bass line and the title track feels like something The Alarm might turn out. It’s solid all the way through, and played with verve. If you miss the days of «Girls on Film» and «The Killing Moon», this is the album for you. [Andre Salles, Tuesday Morning 3 a.m., October 30, 2018]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/awol/1579754447)
CD tracklist:
01. Melissa – 3:41
02. Prodigal (Run to You) – 3:57
03. Glory Boys – 3:44
04. Half of the Better One – 3:24
05. Eurorail – 3:47
06. Moonracer – 3:45
07. Brand New Hit – 3:17
08. Yeshua – 4:07
09. Awol – 3:46
10. Irish Blood Up – 3:17
11. Cornucopia of My Soul – 4:37
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