NEW MUSIC
SELECTIVE HEARING | Robert Berman
KEVIN MAX AWOL album title reflects his intent to craft an album that reaches listeners beyond church walls , while still expressing the heart of a man who loves Jesus . “ Can you feel all the love ? Touch the holes in my side ,” he says on the Boy-era- U2-ish “ Yeshua .” Put it on , play it often .
HARVEST PARKER Preachers
NAMO Rain
For his thirteenth solo project , Max dives deep into the early 80 ’ s , delivering a love letter to British New Wave and post-punk bands from The Cure to The Clash . His chief co-conspirators are producer / programmer Kieran Kelly and bassist Andy Moore of The Smiths , who keep the sound firmly grounded in the era of shoulder pads , Swatch watches , and leg warmers . Hooks abound : hooks on keys , hooks on guitars , hooks on synths , and above all Max ’ s warmly powerful voice , imbuing the proceedings with raw passion . Max is one of those rare artists which has one asking friends , “ The music is great , but have you noticed the lyrics ?” “ Melissa ” offers a word of encouragement to the loner girl on the fringes of her church youth group . “ Glory Boys ” is a nostalgic tribute to Max ’ s youth , with arpeggiatting keyboard and slap bass homaging Duran Duran ’ s “ Rio .” “ Half of the Better One ” is a sweet , Smiths-style love song to his wife . The impressionistic “ Moonracer ” could be from Spandau Ballet or Aha ! “ Brand New Hit ” depicts Max as stuck “ between two worlds ,” trying to live up to ( or perhaps live down ) his early super-career in DC Talk while forging new work that represents his journey of “ shedding my skin ” over the last 20 years : “ All the people in the past just want it to last . All the people in the future want a brand new hit .” The
Producer / composer Asher Peterson ’ s EP , a collection of five electronic compositions running from the mellow to the inspiring , with assists from several vocalists including his siblings . “ I ’ m going to let You down … but You ’ re making a move in my heart ,” declares his sister Skye on “ Move ,” the lovely opening track . “ Rain ” is a dreamy trance number . “ Cage ” finds vocalist / rapper Caleb Kulhman apologizing for a broken relationship over synths and a hip-hop beat . On the piano-based song of encouragement “ Smile ,” Aedan Peterson has a reedy sonority recalling his father , celebrated singer / songwriter Andrew Peterson . “ You ’ re not a Robinson , stranded on the shore .” Caution : Spotify currently has this EP listed under a British artist also named “ Namo .”
Following up a 2010 EP and a stint touring with Third Day , Harvest returns with a full album ’ s worth produced by her brother , Daniel Bashta . Her throaty alto and echoing keyboard style recall Lana Del Rey , and she shows quite a knack for biblical songcraft . The opening title track is a mysterious and apocalyptic selection with images drawn from the book of Revelation . “ Anchor ” continues the minor key vibe with a song of praise . “ Deep and Wide ” mashes up the children ’ s song of that name with an update of the hymn “ There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood .” “ There Is a Peace ” covers the worship track by Charlie Richardson of Sojourn Community Church , while “ Pursuit ” is by Daniel Bashta .
82 June 2018 WorshipMusician . com