Within the context of the catalog of work involving Kevin Max, from dc Talk on, Cotes d’ Armor conjures up the image of a summer blockbuster action hero calmly lighting a cigarette while the scene in the background explodes in a gasoline hellfire blaze. The palpable hints of Depeche Mode’s VIOLATOR, PRETTY HATE MACHINE by Nine Inch Nails, and Moby’s ANIMAL RIGHTS, combined with Max’s unique knack for mixing colors has yielded a tour de force of a concept album that will hold its own against the test of time. While this will not be mistaken for anything remotely close to the products most recently put out by his former cohorts TobyMac and Michael Tait (Newsboys) it should be said that Cotes d’ Armor is the one product that is not restricted by the pop Christian-lite confines of Nashville and, subsequently, will still be revered long after the fad-based veneers that so many others exploit have faded. This is by far, as a whole, Kevin Max’s best album. Get it and settle in for a long trip.
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