Reviewed by Ewan Jones

Kevin Max never fails to surprise, but at the moment, everything that he does, however left field, seems to turn to gold. After wooing more UK fans through his performances at last year's Greenbelt festival, Kevin's 'The Blood' is an unexpected but delightful addition to fans' collections. It is also perhaps some of his most accessible work to date; 10 songs centred around the Cross, not drawing exclusively from any one source of musical heritage though relying largely on African Americans' rich canon of songs. Stateside attention to the album will no doubt be bolstered by collaborations with Amy Grant and Chris Thile (American Idol) though it's his truly spine-tingling version of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" where he duets soulfully with Mary Mary's Erica Campbell aided by a blistering blues guitarist and the intriguing new version of Prince's "The Cross" (where guests Toby Mac and Michael Tait make this effectively a dc Talk track) which will get the most attention. At barely 35 minutes long, I couldn't help but feel that I was listening to the unexpected side-project of a genius rather than a hugely anticipated major release - but whatever the intention, 'The Blood' is a must have for Kevin Max fans and his most accessible album since Kevin, Toby and Michael went solo.

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