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Print On the heels of releasing his latest solo album, The Imposter, in October of this year, Kevin Max is out with his first Christmas project, Holy Night. The eccentric Max (formerly of dcTalk) gives us an unusual, if not likeable, take on the Christmas canon. The most striking point about this record is the selection of songs. Writes Max in the liner notes: “There are many songs....that have brought us closer to the Spirit of the Nativity. It has been a pleasure...to select from a vast selection of classics.” What he’s actually done is select from a vast number of Christmas hymns. Strikingly, every song on the record (except “Greensleeves”) is about the birth of Christ. There are no “Let It Snow” or “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” offerings here. Max focuses solely on the real meaning of Christmas. Not only do the songs themselves emphasize the birth of the Christ child, but the treatment Max gives them accentuates the adoration of the Messiah. You won’t find the big band sounds that almost every artist feels are necessary for a Christmas album, nor will you find the modern rock sounds that both Max and dcTalk are noted for. In fact, you won’t find the potential distraction of instrumentation at all. Most tracks feature bells, chimes, harps, harpsichords, and pianos, with strings accenting now and then. This adds to the album’s introspective, meditative feel, creating a hybrid of the ethereal and awe inspiring. Similarly, Kevin Max has taken the tempo of the songs and arranged them in such a way that the listener focuses on what is being said. For example, songs like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Joy to the World” are beyond slow, bordering on sounding like a dirge. But in that the lyrical beauty of these hymns shines fresh. Finally, as is to be expected with Kevin Max’s work, there is the return to the obscure. I do not imply that every verse of every song is included here, but there is no question that on each of these well-known Christmas carols Max has treated us to stanzas that are not normally included. The return to long-forgotten lyrics coupled with the “bare bones” approach to music leaves the listener awestruck by the true majesty of Jesus Christ. For example, here are a few lines from “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”:
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring
seed There is indeed something mystic about this entire project, but Kevin Max has deftly utilized that to inspire the true veneration of the Christ child this Christmas. The only difficulty I can find with this record is its availability. Family Christian stores claims to be the sole retail distributor, and the only other places I’ve found it were Target.com and Northernrecords.com. You may not rock around the Christmas tree with mistletoe and ivy while listening to Holy Night, but you will be given the opportunity to sit back, reflect, and experience the true majesty of the King of Kings coming to earth as a Man. As Kevin Max says, “May the mystery and absolute beauty of the birth of Christ live long among us.” I concur.
ninetyandnine.com © 2005, David Bunch ---------- David Bunch looks forward to teaching his soon-to-be-born son the true meaning of Christmas. |
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