Having moved from San Antonio where Max isn't on the radio to Fort Worth where they play Max on KHYI all the time, I had to buy a CD. I love his rich voice and played the CD all day. I'm back to Lone Star Music.com to buy more MAX! Can't wait to see him live in a local honkey tonk. Thanks KHYI 95.3, The Range.
If you like acoustic based story songs, then COMFORT IN THE CURVES is the ONE. In this day and age it is hard to find any cd of any kind that has 12 killer cuts on it. This one does. Any one of them could be a top hit. Max is my favorite of all the Texas Honky Tonkers. Get the word out, he is great.
the song aint fallin in love with you tonight is top notch. This CD (Album, collection of songs if you will) is terrific
Max is my favorite country singer. He has a good taste of Mexican guitar in his music that makes him a little different than the rest of the Texas Country that is out there. He doesnt have any "gimic" songs, and that is always a relief. This is the perfect music for white rock road driving.
Pick an album -- Max Stalling is absolutely the best singer songwriter in this or any other state. From his trip down I35 in Comfort in the Curves to the saga of Dime Box TX and Wide Afternoons, Max tells it like it is or, at least, like we wish it was. Buy it now and see him live if if you get the chance.
All that has to be said is that Max writes the words and plays the music that echoes Texas Music. The songs are balanced wonderfully between the old country classics of Merle, Johnny and Willie with timeless themes and perfect delivery. "Tadpoles & Eagles", i don't think you'll ever see this title anywhere else!
With "One of the Ways," singer-songwriter Max Stalling has not only proven his staying power in the music business, but his ability to rise to the top. "One of the Ways," is his most personal chronicle to date, and the introspective writing that Stalling exudes in every song shows a more artistic side not seen as frequently on his first two releases. His use of different writing styles, rhyme schemes, and delivery of lines create a groove that follows perfectly with the gentle production of Bruce Robison. The instrumentation of the record provides Stalling with a perfect background to deliver his poignant lyrics and touching narratives. Standing out on the record is track 10, "Probably Corsicana." In the song, Stalling chronicles the weariness and second guessing that a traveling musician faces in taking his music to the people..."Why does it always have to be the way it goes/You're dying of thirst or drinking from a firehose/I guess it's like love or religion in that it's about keeping faith." These lines hauntily echo the trials faced both physically and mentally while on the road. The lyrics and production on "Probably Corsicana" make it feel as though it is the sequel to Jackson Browne's monumental "Running On Empty" record. Scanning the rest of "One of The Ways," listeners will find themselves lost in the narrative love tale of "Lying Here at Three," a simple tune about being hopelessly distracted by someone who has stolen your heart and wanting nothing more than to wrap yourself in their world. On this tune, the warm and wonderful Bruce Robison feel can definately be felt throughout the song. The last track on the record, "The Girl By The Lake," is a ballad seemingly straight from the pages of a Townes Van Zandt writing notebook. Tackling issues of trust, love, heartbreak and loss seem an easy task for Stalling, who handles this task with lyrical grace and deadly accuracy. Max Stalling shows, with "One of The Ways," that he has taken on the role of full time artist/songwriter and- with this role- he has proven that he is capable of creating words that touch. For fans of his earlier work, you will be completely enamored with his latest release; for anyone who has yet to discover this diamond in the rough, buy "One of the Ways" and let Max Stalling capture your mind with his descriptions of life.
"One of the Ways" is his best work to date. Killer songwriting in a great package.
Mr. Stalling, if you read this, please keep doing what you're doing.
Great songwriter and great performer period.
You can't go wrong with any of Max's CD's. Some of the best song writing around, and add in his wonderful voice and you have a CD you will listen to again and again. Collect all three!
